Little of this, Little of that
by Bamie02
Summary: Series of one-shots based on Kensi and Deeks.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay - this will be a place where I post one-shots. So if you have something, let me know!_

_First story is for bookdiva, who asked for my take on the punch (and was also awesome and read over it for me). You know which one I'm talking about. So here it is._

* * *

She had been home for two weeks. What she was hoping would be a warm welcoming from her partner ended up being a hug with awkward 'hey's' thrown in for good measure. She could see the excitement in his eyes that she was home, but she could tell something was off. She had thought initially it was just nerves; they hadn't seen each other and rarely talked since she had been shipped off to Afghanistan.

Remembering everything that had happened the day of her departure, though, she realized what was wrong. She had knocked the shit out of him, scolded him for _not_ taking the shot, thrown out some words about a frozen lake, pretended to be Fern, gone off the reservation and disobeyed orders, scolded him for _taking_ the shot, decided that some talking needed to happen, asked for patience, and then finally she had been reassigned. But that first thing - throwing and landing a punch - that was the most inexcusable part of the day.

She knew what she had done was wrong. The moment her fist connected with his jaw she had felt shame. But instead of apologizing immediately, she had walked off. She had turned her back on the one person who would _never_ turn his back on her.

And in pure Kensi fashion, she had ignored it, tried to pretend it didn't happen. And while it worked for the most part, she could tell that the cracks in the ice were getting bigger and she was powerless to stop it. Well, not powerless, but she was too much of a coward to bring it up.

Her dad had quoted Confucius to her one night, and she had never forgotten it:_"To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice."_ Never in her life had she understood this phrase so much as right now.

* * *

The team had gone out for drinks and while at the bar, Deeks had made a wise ass comment about personal space – or lack thereof – and she had done the first thing that came to mind: punch him. Seeing the look on his face, watching him step away from her, she felt the shame wash over her again.

She made it out to her car somehow and had just started driving. She knew at this point there was no way they could ever make it past this without talking about it. She turned her car around and headed back to his apartment, ready to sit in the parking lot and wait him out.

She didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later he pulled up. He glanced at her car and instead of walking over to her, he ignored her and walked to his door. While he was unlocking it, she had managed to get out of her SRX and make it up to the door with him.

"Deeks, I need to say something to you. That morning, when I hit you…" Deeks cut her off.

"Look Kensi. Punches to the shoulder when I say something inappropriate? I can take that. Jabs to stomach when I get too handsy? Fine. Punching me in the face? That's a line I never thought you would cross. But you did. I can't give you what you want to hear and tell you everything will be okay, because right now? Right now it's not. So please understand that I need some time." And with that, Deeks closed the door.

He walked over the fridge and grabbed a beer. Popping the top, he took a long pull from it and then felt disgust. Even something as simple to him as a beer now brought back images of his father, something that hadn't happened since he was in college. He thought he had successfully put that behind him. And he had, really. Until his partner decided to take her frustration out on him. Usually it didn't bother him, but then again, she had never taken that route before.

He had managed to push it to the back of his mind while she was gone. He wasn't going to bring it up while she was in another country doing God knows what. And while he had been ecstatic to see her when she finally came home, the initial happiness had slowly faded.

Tonight was the first night she had raised her fist to punch his shoulder for something he said and he had immediately stepped back, away from her. She looked from her hand to his eyes and had seen the hurt there. And for the second time in their partnership, she had turned and walked away.

He was used to her antics by now. He had years of knowing what buttons to push and her reaction to it. He knew he wasn't completely blameless in the whole situation. He had frozen when he needed to take action. He will absolutely take responsibility for that. Hell yes he had tried to play it off as not having a shot, but the punch to the face? He hadn't really been expecting that.

And he probably would have handled everything a lot better if she hadn't turned around and walked away from him. He could have dealt with the words, the accusations, been able to defend his actions. But she had turned her back on him. That's what pissed him off the most.

He threw the beer bottle at the wall, hearing it shatter on impact.

"God damn it Kensi!"

Kensi was still standing outside his door, wanting to knock and explain herself. What exactly she would say she had no idea, but she knew she needed to fix this. Just as she raised her hand, she heard something hit the wall and break and his resounding shout afterwards, aimed at her. She couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks, the sobs that followed. She backed away, unable to comprehend what was going on.

_What have I done?_

She ended up making it to her car and drove aimlessly. When she found herself at the beach, she parked the car and sat there, watching the ocean. Hours passed as she sat there, lost in her thoughts.

An hour before the sun came up, Deeks tapped on the window. When Kensi didn't move, he opened the passenger door and climbed in, handing her a coffee and doughnuts. She couldn't get her voice to work to ask him what he was doing.

"I went by your place this morning and you weren't there. I had Eric track your phone. Seeing as you have the same clothes on from yesterday you didn't go home last night."

She opened her mouth to speak and he stopped her.

"Drink your coffee and eat something. I'm going to go surf for a while and try and clear my head. If you are still here when I get done, we can talk." She nodded her head.

"Thanks Deeks. For the coffee and doughnuts." He gave her a tight smile and nodded at her, getting out of the car and grabbing his board.

Kensi took her coffee and sugary treats and got out, walking to sand to watch her partner.

_Even thoroughly pissed off at me – at what I did - he still looks out for me._

Sitting down, she watched as he rode wave after wave. He was incredible to watch, the way he was able to anticipate the wave coming and know exactly when to pop up. She had tried it a couple of times under his instruction, and while she wasn't horrible, she knew she would never be on that level.

An hour later, he rode the last wave in and decided it was now or never. Grabbing his board he walked to where Kensi was sitting.

"Kens did you sleep at all last night?"

"Uh, no. Look Deeks…"

"No, Kensi. I'm going to say my piece first. When I'm done, you can have the floor. But I'm telling you this right now. After today, after this moment right here, we don't bring it up ever again. We lay it all out right now – the good, the bad and the ugly – and when we leave this shore, it stays here with it and we try and move on from it. Got it?" At her nod, he began.

"You are not fully to blame for all this. I know it takes two to tango. My reaction, my hesitation, it could have cost you your life. What if he hadn't tossed you aside? What if he had decided that taking you with him was a better option? Or if he had shot you? That would have been on me. I take full responsibility for that. I don't know how many times I have replayed that in my head and seen a different ending. It would have been completely justified for Hetty to have let me go after that. We can't work as a team if there's going to be questions of if one of us will be able to put our personal feelings aside. I didn't. I let them rule my actions and the consequences of that…"

He picked up sand, letting it run through his fingers. Kensi sat there watching him, knowing he wasn't done yet and allowing him time to gather his thoughts.

"My dad… he was a sucker for the face. It was his favorite place to hit me and my mom. But I learned a long time ago to put that behind me as much as I could and move forward. You can't be an undercover cop and have issues with getting punched. It's a given that it will happen. But getting socked in the jaw is not something I should have to worry about when it comes to you. I'm not saying I didn't have an ass whoopin' coming my way, because I definitely did, but punching me and then walking off flipped a switch somewhere."

Silence followed for a couple of minutes. He took a deep breath, staring at the ocean and watching the wave's crash. He was hoping that getting all of this out on the open would allow it to be washed away with the tide.

"You walked away Kensi. Away from me, away from us. Trust me, I get why you did it, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it." She could hear the anger in his voice now and she put her head down, staring at her hands while he continued. He put his finger to her chin and made her look up, locking eyes with her.

"You get mad at something I do – or don't do – fine. Yell at me, throw things, or knock the shit out of a punching bag. Hell you want to hit me again? Then we can spar and you can beat my ass on the mat. But don't ever punch me in anger. Ever. I told you last night I can take the punches to the arm and the jabs you dish out just fine, I don't want you to think that's a problem. You wouldn't be Kensi, we wouldn't be _us_ if that stopped. But this will never work if I have to wonder what's going to happen if I piss you off again, because I know I will. It's inevitable."

"We have horrible communication skills. That's what led us here. Neither one of us ever says what we really mean. But I'm working on it, and up until that afternoon after I took the shot, I was the only one who was really trying. You talk a lot about saying what you really mean, but you don't. You want me to give something without getting anything in return. I'm trying here Kensi. But I'm not going to keep putting myself out there if I'm not going to get anything in return. That's bullshit. You want words, not actions. Well, I'm throwing that back at you."

He raised his eyebrows and he waved his hand in front of them, gesturing for her to begin when she was ready.

"First and foremost, I'm sorry. For not saying what I mean, for making you do all the work, for punching you, for walking away from you. I'm sorry."

She kept the eye contact with him, and he nodded.

"I know you are, but that's not what this is about. I need you to say what you actually mean Kensi."

She took a deep breath, ready to get this off her chest.

"I was standing there, gun pressed to me. You showed up, like I knew you would, but it wasn't the same. You didn't take the shot I _know_ you had. You hesitated and I knew then that what had happened the night before was a mistake. We couldn't have a partnership and a relationship. And I was angry. Angry at the guy for getting the drop on me, angry at me for having to rely on you again to save me, and angry at you for not taking the shot. God damn it Deeks! I was angry at the god damn world for showing me what could be and then ripping it away. It's a cruel twist of fate, huh?"

She let out a sad laugh, making herself stop for a minute to keep the tears at bay. Crying wasn't going to do any good now. And after last night, she was surprised to find she still had tears to cry.

"I did the first thing I thought of. I hit you. In the face. And the exact moment my fist made contact, I knew it was wrong. So I did what I do best, I ran away from it. I closed up and walked away."

She shook her head in disgust, anger filling her. She picked up a shell and threw it as hard as she could.

"I have to know that when that situation arises, you will do what needs to be done. I can't have us second guessing our decisions. It'll get one of us killed, and that's not an option I am really up to exploring."

She picked up another shell, throwing it but not having quite the force behind it this time.

"When you were in the meat locker with Thappa, and we didn't have contact with you, I had a glimpse of what you went through that morning. Because I couldn't function not knowing what was going on. So instead of obeying Callen's orders, I took action. I let my feelings take over and I barged in, guns blazing. I had already made my mind up that we could do this, as long as talked about it. But then you took the shot. You made an incredibly stupid risk and saved my life. Again. And that cemented it. We could definitely do this. I had so much I wanted to say to you that night, but never got the chance. You and me, we are a great team. We still have a long way to go with the personal side of it, but I know we can figure it out."

"We always do." He smiled at her, and she was grateful for it.

"You were right when you said our communication sucks. Well, mine sucks. You've gotten much better. I asked you to open up, to talk to me, and you did. And I never reciprocated that. But I will. It takes two to tango, right?" She tried smiling at him, but she still had something to say to him.

"I don't want you to forgive me; I'm not asking for that because it's not something I deserve. You are my partner, my best friend, and you… you are so much more. Next time I get that mad - and I'm not stupid, there will be a next time - I will yell and throw things and kick your ass in a sparring match, but I will NEVER strike you out of anger again. When I throw a punch, you will see it coming and it won't be in the heat of anger. Well, not completely. And I'm sure I will wear out a few punching bags, too. But what happened that morning, I promise you it won't be repeated. I_ promise_, Deeks." She said the last part with conviction in her voice.

"Last night, after you closed the door, I couldn't move. I stood there, wanting to knock and make you listen to me. But I heard something hit the wall and break. And I heard you curse my name. That I deserve. And so much more."

Deeks grabbed her hand, needing the connection.

"You deserve a lot of things Kens, but breaking a beer bottle and cursing your name with it isn't one of them."

"No, don't let me off that easy Deeks. I deserved it and more. From here on out, we tell each other what's going on. No matter what it is. Keeping things locked away has never worked out well for us. We can do this Deeks. We just have to talk about it."

He nodded at her, looking into her eyes.

"You know what Princess? I think we're going to be okay." He smiled at her and stood up, knowing they had said everything that needed to be said right now.

"Now, I need some food. And sleep. You weren't the only one who stayed awake all night. Although, I can think of some other… interesting things to do in bed besides sleeping."

This time, when she raised her fist to punch him in the shoulder, Deeks was waiting for it and laughed. Yeah, they were going be okay.

* * *

_AN - You know me...I love to hear what you thought. And if you bave something you'd like to see, let me know!_


	2. A Little Help

_As requested by moresassythanclassy - Deeks gets hurt and doesn't want Kensi's help._

_Thank you to the ever amazing bookdiva for reading it over for me!_

_Disclaimer - not mine_

* * *

"Kens, I got it. Really. You can go home, I'll be fine."

"Deeks, you can't say you're fine. That's my line, and it doesn't work, trust me. Let me help you with this."

"No, seriously, I got it." He frowned at her, his voice taking on a hard edge to it.

"Deeks –"

"Damn it Kensi. I said go home," he shouted at her. Kensi just stood there staring at him, unbelieving. She knew what he was doing, she had done it with him many times, but she was a lot more stubborn than he was.

"Okay, Deeks. I'll go home. After you show me you can safely walk from the living room to the kitchen. That way I know you can at least get some food and water in you."

She stood, hip against the door, watching the anger on his face. He can say what he wants, a broken left foot and a sprained right knee didn't exactly equal track and field star right now. He'd be lucky to make it three steps, and that was with his crutches. She crossed her arms over her chest as she saw the determination on his face as he stood up. As he put his weight down on his broken foot, he cried out, falling backwards against the couch cushions.

Kensi didn't say anything. She pushed herself off the door and walked silently to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and his pain pills, before taking them to her partner. She set them down on the table, making sure the remote was within reach.

"Come on, Monty. Let's go boy." She put the leash on him and just before she headed out the door, she looked at Deeks.

"I'll be back in about ten minutes." He didn't look at her, just nodded his head.

As soon as the door closed, Deeks took the pills she left him and washed it down. He thought back over the day he'd had. He had gone running on the beach that morning with Kensi. It was a beautiful Saturday and they had wanted to take advantage of it.

When they ran by the jetties, he heard a tiny, faraway bark. As he was walking out onto the jetty, he spotted a little dog with what looked like his paw stuck between the rocks. As he was making his way out to it, he slipped and twisted his knee. Determined to help the dog, he kept going. When he reached him, he squatted down and finally managed to free his foot. Kensi was standing where the jetty meets the beach, watching him. He was limping on his bad knee, trying to keep steady against the wet rocks.

As soon as she thought he was safe, his twisted knee buckled, causing his opposite foot to bend and slip into some rocks. As Deeks fell, he managed to hold the dog to him to protect him, but he ended up breaking two bones in his foot. Kensi had run out as carefully as she could. She took the dog and placed it on shore and ran back out to help Deeks.

As soon as she got him back on shore, the owner of the dog came running. She was blonde haired and green eyed and filled out her bikini well. She started gushing all over Deeks, thanking him for saving her poor, sweet dog. Deeks was trying to be polite but both of his legs were throbbing at this point. Blondie gave him her number, seemingly indifferent to Kensi standing there.

Deeks had just taken it, wanting her to leave and not thinking of what he was doing. Giving her a tight, painful smile, she walked away. He looked up at Kensi.

"Hey um, anyway I can get you to give me a ride the hospital?" _Damn this hurt_.

"Surprised you didn't ask the blonde bimbo to take you." She couldn't help it, really. The minute she came up and started flirting with an obviously hurt Deeks, Kensi had put her walls up and acted like she didn't care. When she really, _really_ cared.

"Kens, tone back the jealous streak and please help me." He was gritting his teeth at this point. If this was any other time he would be making quips about her being jealous, but right now it hurt too much, and he needed her help.

"Whatever Deeks. Come on, let's get you the ER." She grabbed his arm and helped him up, making sure one of his arms was around her shoulder so he could try and use her as a crutch to the get the car. It took them a while, but luckily they hadn't parked far.

Deeks was panting by the time they made it to her car. She eased him in and hurried to the driver's side. She hurried as she backed out the parking spot, putting her foot the gas with force.

"Kensalina, killing me before you get me to the hospital it would be kinda pointless, don't you think?" He wasn't sure what was going to be his demise today, the pain or her driving. He held onto the 'oh-shit' handle for dear life.

"You don't like my driving? Should have had your new girlfriend take you then." She couldn't stop the words if she had tried. She had no idea why she was acting like this. Well, she did, but she didn't want to think about it right now.

"Are you being serious right now? I think I broke my foot and sprained my knee and you want to play jealous partner _now_?" His tone was incredulous.

"I'm not jealous Deeks. Just stating the obvious."

"The only obvious thing I'm seeing right now is you wearing the color green. And it doesn't look good on you."

She slammed on the breaks, pulling into the hospital. If he hadn't been holding onto the handle, he would have ended up with a concussion, too.

Putting the car in park, she quickly turned the ignition off and slammed her door, walking to the other side to help Deeks. _Damn it, he's right. Green is not a good look on me. _She made herself become neutral, knowing he needed his partner right now, not some jealous chick who couldn't function.

She opened his door and helped him out.

"Want me to go get a wheelchair?" His knee had swollen to twice its normal size by now.

"No, I think I'll be good as long as we take is slow." He eased himself out, careful with his movements. Kensi put her arm around his waist, forcing him to put his arm around her shoulders for support.

_Wow he smells good. _Kensi found herself involuntarily moving as close as she could to him to breathe in his scent. She was so lost in that oceany-Deeks smell her steps faltered.

"I know I smell good Kens, but can we focus please?" His teeth were gritted in pain. He was now regretting his decision to try and walk.

Kensi didn't respond to his comment, knowing he was right, he _does_ smell good, and now was _not_ the time to relish in it.

Making their way into the ER waiting room, she deposited her partner in the chair and walked up to the counter to get the necessary paperwork. Grabbing the clipboard and a pen, she took the seat next to him and started filling out the forms.

"So um, need anything from me? Social security number? Blood type? The name of my first born child?" He wasn't going to lie, watching her fill out _his_ paperwork was pretty impressive.

"Nope, I got it." She continued to fill in the blanks. When she was done she walked it back to the lady at the counter who hadn't taken her eyes off Deeks since he walked in. She may have set the clipboard down a little harder than need be, but it worked. She took her eyes away from Deeks and gave Kensi her best death glare.

"He's hurting pretty bad right now. Staring at him isn't going to get him back there any faster." She raised her eyebrows at her and walked back, plopping down in the seat.

"So Sunshine, what's got you all riled up now? First it was the woman at the beach who was wanting her dog back…"

"She gave you her number, which is in your left pocket, while you were obviously in pain," Kensi remarked, not looking at him.

"Okay first, it's in the right pocket. Second, she was just grateful I saved the dog."

Kensi scoffed. "Yeah, okay."

"Now, it's the –"

"Marty Deeks? I'm Nurse Amy." The nurse walked to him, bringing in a wheelchair to help get him to the back. Not caring right now how unmanly this was, he allowed Kensi to help him into the chair. Kensi stood behind the wheelchair, letting Nurse Amy take the lead. As soon as Amy was far enough ahead she wouldn't hear, Kensi leaned down to him.

"Stop staring at her ass Deeks."

"Don't worry Princess, yours is much better." He was kind of liking this jealous Kensi. For someone who was so good at undercover, she couldn't lie to him to save her life. She was _saying_ she wasn't jealous, but her actions screamed otherwise.

Before Kensi could say anything else, they were being led into an exam room.

"Okay Mr. Deeks, you will need to put this gown on. Do you need me to help?" She turned a pointed look at Kensi, silently telling her she would treat him much better than her.

"Uh, no, I think I got it. Thanks." Deeks was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, okay. Ms. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room." Nurse Amy smirked at her, thinking she had the upper hand. Before Kensi could open her mouth Deeks was talking.

"No, no. She can stay." He turned pleading eyes to her. Kensi just narrowed her eyes at Amy, and turned to smile at him. Amy turned around and huffed out of the room.

"Please don't leave me alone with her." She laughed at him then.

"I thought you had a thing for nurses? I bet she'll give you a sponge bath, too, if you ask nicely." Deeks shuttered at this thought.

"The only one I want giving me a sponge bath is in this room." She blushed, turning her face away, and Deeks wondered if he had gone too far. The way she had been acting lately, especially the jealousy she was actually allowing to show today, was making him think she wanted more than a partnership and friendship. But he knew he couldn't take that step unless he was absolutely sure she wanted the same thing.

"Just get changed Deeks. The sooner we get this over with the sooner I can take you home." She was schooling her features now, unable to give him a glimpse into her thoughts. Deeks just nodded his head, starting to get tired of the back and forth and her hot and cold attitude. She saw the defeated look in his eyes and started to fidget.

"I'll uh, I'll just turn around. If you need me, I'll be right here." And with those words, she turned, staring at a fascinating dot on the wall. Five minutes later, he gave her the okay to turn back around.

"Wow Deeks, really rockin' that gown there." She was trying to get her partner back. She knew she had shown him more today than she had in a long time. She hadn't meant to show him the jealous streak she harbored, but she couldn't stop it.

"Yeah, well, wait until I stand up and you get a glimpse of…" She just put her hand up, telling him not to go any farther. She could only imagine what she would get a glimpse of. She already had fantasies about him, no need to add fuel to the flame.

Two awkward-silence-filled hours later, Deeks had an ace wrap around his sprained knee and a cast on his foot. He was given crutches to help walk – although he was told to stay off his knee for as long as possible to help it heal – and some pain meds. The sprained knee wasn't as bad as originally thought, but it would make is difficult to walk with for the next few days. They got their discharge papers and Kensi left to bring the car around.

As Deeks sat there waiting for her, he wondered if he had gotten it wrong. She had been so hot and cold lately he wasn't sure where their 'thing' stood, and he was getting tired of it. He could only take so much before he finally snapped.

On the way home, he tried talking to her.

"Kensi, thank you for today. For helping me and not leaving me alone with Nurse Amy." He tried smirking at her to lighten the mood a little, but she wasn't paying attention.

"It's fine Deeks. We're just partners. That's what we do." _Yeah, just partners. Say it enough times, Kensi, and you might start to the believe it._

He let out a sigh. _Yeah, just partners_. Well, there was his answer. He had obviously misread her actions, and now he felt like a fool.

He was quiet the rest of the way back to his place. Kensi had gone through a drive-through to get some burgers and fries for dinner for them, but Deeks had just grunted at her suggestion.

And that led him to right now. She was trying to help him, and he yelled at her. She ignored his tone, issued a challenge which led her to walk his dog for him. He put his face in his hands. He had no idea what to do now.

Hearing the lock turn, he put a bored look on his face as she walked in the door with his dog. _If she left, how was he going to walk Monty? Maybe Eric or Nell could stop by and help him. And that would lead to questions about why Kensi wasn't here helping_. This was leading nowhere quickly. Kensi's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Look, Deeks, I know things have been weird lately. I know I've been acting…strange. I've got some things to work out in my head, and until I do that, I need us to be okay."

He sat there silently for a minute, processing the request. He could wait, as long as he had to, but he needed to know if his waiting would be worth it in the end.

"One question, and then you can have all the time you need. Those 'things' to work out…do they include us? And just to clarify, so there's no misunderstandings, I'm talking about a me-and-you-together kind of us; not just as a partners and friends kind of us." He stared into her eyes, willing her to give the answer he so desperately needed.

"Yeah Deeks, the you-and-me-together kind of us. That's what I need to process, okay?"

He let out a relieved sigh.

"Yeah, Kens, that works for me. And don't worry, we'll be okay, no matter what." He tried to put as much feeling into that as he could, letting her know without actually saying the words that he wasn't going anywhere, that he wanted them too, and he would be here when she got those 'things' worked out. She gave him a grateful smile and walked to the kitchen, grabbing there dinner.

Deeks chose the movie, and they sat there in silence, a little closer than normal, shoulders and thighs barely touching. Deeks had a smile on his face he couldn't get rid of and Kensi felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She had confirmation he wanted this too, and he was willing to give her a little time to wrap her head around it. She had her hand on her leg, and she couldn't stop the grin when she felt Deeks link his pinky with hers. Very slowly, their linked pinkies turned into linked hands. She laid her head on his shoulder and she felt him place his cheek on the top of her head.

"Hey Kens?"

"Yeah Deeks."

"About that sponge-bath…" She grabbed the cat pillow next to her, and without moving their hands or her head, she nailed him in the chest with it.

"Sure, I'll call Nurse Amy for you. I'm sure she'd love to help." She could feel the look of horror on his face.

"You know what? Touché."

"Touché."

"Really Kens? You don't get to say it. We really need to work on that."

And just like that, all the pieces fell into place and both knew that their thing… it was finally working out.

* * *

_AN - So...there you have it. Let me know what you think of it. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Prompt: Deeks and the box - for JKO73_

_THANK YOU to the amazing bookdiva for looking it over for me (you rock!)_

* * *

Deeks walked into the bull pen, carrying his brown satchel. As he made the corner, a sense of deja vu hit him. There, sitting on his desk, was the large brown box. The same box Kensi had delivered to the office, taken home and then brought back, telling him that the one thing he wanted more than anything was in it. The same box he had put on a shelf, unopened.

Sam and Callen were sitting at their desks, catching up on paperwork. He stopped mid stride, unsure as to what was going on.

"What the crap? What… what the hell is that?" He said, pointing to the box now on his desk.

"It looks like a box." Sam just couldn't resist.

"That's clever." Yeah, he had definitely had this conversation before. "I mean, what the hell is it doing on my desk."

He slowly walked to it, putting his bag down next to the desk, steering clear of it in case something jumped out at him.

He turned, looking at the lockers and verifying that the box, _his_ box, was not up there. He turned back to his desk, eyeing it. Sam and Callen both sat there, watching him.

Callen was the first to speak. "What's in the box?"

"Mind your own damn business." Deeks couldn't take his eyes off it.

"Good call." Sam pointed at Deeks as he said this. But Deeks wasn't paying attention anymore, his mind firmly back to the day she hinted at what was in it, hearing his partner's voice in his head.

_"I forgot his birthday. I felt bad, so I decided to get him something he's always wanted. More than anything else in the world."_

_"You really did that?"_

_"Open it and find out."_

_"And what if you got it wrong? I mean, 'cause life doesn't get any better than this moment, right now. Because everything I have ever wanted is inside this box, right?" She nods. "Well then, there's no real reason to open it, is there?" _

Callen watched Deeks as his eyes glazed over a little, knowing he had taken a trip back in time. The box had been on his desk when he and Sam had gotten to work this morning, but neither had any idea how it had gotten there.

Callen slyly waved to his partner, signaling to him to head to the gym, letting Deeks have some private time to work out… well, whatever it was he needed to work out.

Deeks didn't notice them leaving, completely focused on what was in front of him. He walked up slowly, placing his hand on it. Replaying that one scene over and over in his head, he walked around the desk, his hand never leaving it. Now that it was here, he couldn't ignore it any longer. Deciding it was now or never, he reached his hand into his pocket to get his knife, but before he could pull it out, he heard a voice behind him.

"I see you received a package, Mr. Deeks." He just stared at the box, unable to take his eyes off of it.

"It ah – it was on my desk when I got here this morning." He managed to tear his eyes away, looking at Hetty. "Any idea how it got here?"

Her gaze never faltering, she answered him.

"I have no idea, Mr. Deeks. But if it's on your desk, maybe it's a good time to finally open it." A half smile playing on her lips, she winked at him before walking away.

_Did she just...? She winked?_ This was getting more bizarre by the second.

Pulling the knife out, he hesitated before very slowly pulling it across the tape. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the box lids back, almost scared to look inside.

He glanced up, checking to see if there was anyone around watching him. Noticing it was eerily quiet around the mission, he got back the business at hand.

_Breathe Deeks, it's not that big of a deal._ But all he could focus on was that she had gotten it wrong. Because the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world was gone. Cruelly taken from him and placed on an indefinite reassignment.

Noticing his hands were shaking, he took a step back, running them through his hair and over his face. Deciding enough was enough, he quickly glanced in before almost jumping back.

_What the…_

He looked back in, this time actually looking. There were two envelopes sitting in the bottom of the box. Pulling them out, and glancing again to make sure he didn't miss anything, he noted the words FIRST and SECOND on them.

_Well, I didn't make it to Detective for nothing._

Opening the first envelope, he pulled out a picture of Kensi while she was in Afghanistan. He studied it for a minute, noting that while she looked tired, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Realization hit him hard, and it hit him fast. Kensi. In Afghanistan. Picture of Kensi in Afghanistan. He stopped breathing.

He looked up again, hoping to see _anybody_ now, but it was still quiet. His spidey senses on high alert now, he picked up the second envelope and opened it. At a snail's pace, he pulled out a second picture, this one of Kensi standing placing the box on his desk. He stared at it, nervous if he looked away he would wake up and realize this was all a dream.

Studying the picture, he noticed that she was holding a piece of paper against the box. Bringing the picture closer and studying it, he saw the number 115B written on it.

Brows furrowed, he narrowed his eyes, looking around. Was this telling him something? Deciding It was, he picked up both of the pictures, having an almost death grip on them. He walked up the stairs and passed OPS, knowing there were empty rooms past them. He noted the numbers on the wall, 113, 114, 115A. He stopped at the next door. 115B.

He put his hand on the door, scared to open it. If this wasn't what he thought it was, he was going to be crushed.

Turning the knob, he pushed the door open. Walking in, he glanced around, not seeing anything.

_Of course she isn't here. If this is someone's idea of a sick joke, I'm going to…_

Before he could finish the thought, he felt hands come up and cover his eyes, immediately followed by a whispered "Guess who?"

Time stopped. He let his loose hand cover one of hers, relishing in the feel of her skin. He kept the contact, letting his hand run up her arm as he turned. Once he was fully facing her, he let his hand trace her face, the other hand holding the pictures wrap around her back, pulling her close to him.

Kensi placed her hands on either side of his face, running her fingers along his jaw, playing with his hair.

"Am I dreaming? Have I finally lost it completely?" His voice was quiet, worried about breaking the spell.

"No dream, Deeks. I'm here, standing in this room, with you." She held his gaze, letting him come to terms with the shock he was clearly reeling from.

"You're not planning on taking off again anytime soon, right? You're home for good?"

She laughed a little. "Yep. I'm home for good."

He placed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

"What's that smell?" He pulled back a little, wrinkling his nose at her.

"Shut up Deeks. I got back a few hours ago, sat through the debrief and barely had enough time to surprise you. It's a LONG way from Afghanistan to LA. Transport planes aren't really first class."

"I think before this goes any further, you need a shower. You're giving Oscar the Grouch a run for his money right now."

"Ohhhh okay." She pulled away from him, hands held up in front of her as she took some steps backwards. "I see how this is going to be. Here I was, thinking you would be kind enough to let me use your shower, helping me wash my back, but I see how it is. I'll just go… freshen up." She turned, about to take the first step out when he grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back to him.

"What uh… what was that about needing help washing your back? You know, I am an excellent back washer. Just ask…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Deeks." She was trying but failing to keep her laughter in.

"What? I was going to say Monty. Why, what did _you_ think I was going to say?" He grinned at her, laughter in his eyes, and it was a sight she knew she would never tire of seeing. She grabbed his free hand, entwining their fingers and started walking backwards, not taking her eyes off his.

"I have it on good authority that your level of expertise is not needed here today. What do you say you take me home and show me these washing skills you keep boasting about?"

"Sure thing, darlin'. Anything you want." He smirked at her and the sound of her laughter echoed through the mission as they made their down the stairs.

Hetty sat at her desk, watching the two partners make their way out into the sunlight. Everything was now as it should be. She smiled to herself while taking a sip of tea.

She heard Sam and Callen make their way back from the gym to their desks. Both of them stopped when they noticed the box was open and Deeks was nowhere to be seen. Callen hurried over.

"Hetty, is there something we should know? Where's Deeks?"

"Don't worry Mr. Callen. Mr. Deeks is fine. He is taking the day off. Apparently, there was an issue with a smell that he had to take care of."

"A smell? Hetty, what are you talking about?" Sam was confused. Her cryptic messages always threw him for a loop. Callen seemed to catch on a little faster, noting the gleam in Hetty's eyes.

"A smell, huh? Kensi's back, isn't she?" He raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to lie to them.

"She arrived this morning. Now, don't you have some paperwork to catch up on?"

Callen just chuckled, now understanding the smell comment. He turned to Sam, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Come on big guy. Whoever finishes their paperwork last buys lunch."

"Hope you brought your wallet this time G. I'm not getting stuck with the bill again."

Hetty listened to their banter as they walked back to their desks, happy and secure in the knowledge her team would be just fine.

* * *

_AN - Hope you liked it! Let me know! :)_


	4. Night Time Dances

_Prompt: The nights and mornings leading up to The Unwritten Rule - for bookdiva (who, you know, was is also freakin' AMAZING and looked over this for me)_

* * *

Hearing the deep, even breathing of her partner, Kensi slipped out of the bed. As silently as she could, she tip-toed out of the room and sat on the couch. It was just after midnight, and she needed to get home so she could sleep in her own bed, take a shower, and get ready for work in the morning. She knew that there would be a text message from her partner when she woke up, asking if she wants to stop and get breakfast before work, knowing she would have to pick him up.

Sliding her boots on, she grabbed her phone and purse, leaving his apartment. Driving the quiet streets, she let her mind wander back to when this pattern first started - the night that really, everything had started to change.

Yummy Yummy Heart Attack, 3B movie, a cat pillow and the words Deeks had unconsciously murmured. _It's a love story_. The first night he had _actually slept_ since Siderov - the first time since the incident that she had slept through the night without nightmares of not making it to him in time. It was something they both needed, continued to need. He needed her to fall asleep; she needed him to ease her mind that he was alive.

But that was the only night she had stayed until morning. Waking up next to him, albeit on the couch or in a bed, was something that would be far too easy to get used to. And it was a complication neither was ready for yet. She shook her head sadly. No, he was ready for it. Maybe not as completely as he was before Siderov, but the kiss he had left her with on the hilltop was confirmation enough. Telling her it was a love story? Well, that just sealed the deal. And it scared her.

She is Kensi Blye. Special Agent, successful undercover operative who can kick ass and take names without breaking a sweat, hoarder and Twinkie junkie. She's lived through her mother leaving, her father's murder, and an ex-fiancé walking away on Christmas morning. She knows firsthand just how much life will throw your way, testing to see if you can catch it. And Kensi Blye doesn't fail. She's managed the curve balls just fine.

She snorted a little. _Fine_. That one word, for one person, can say more about her mood than the look on her face.

So maybe she hadn't managed _just fine_, but she had survived it. She was still here, and everything that had happened, it had made her who she is. A woman with walls higher than the sky, who could lie to strangers without blinking an eye**,** but who was alsounable to tell the whole truth to those that matter most; a woman who had vowed to never let anyone that close again, because the heartache of losing them wasn't something she could stomach. Sure, she thought of Sam and Callen, Eric and Nell, Hetty and Nate as family. But even her makeshift family she kept at arm's length.

But Deeks... he had come crashing in, not caring at all about the carefully constructed walls, knocking them down with just a look. She should be ashamed at how easily she had let him in, but she can't find it in her to do that. She kept up appearances of being guarded, but even those started to slip. The trust she had in him, in them, had made her even more apprehensive but she found she couldn't keep him away. And all because of a room full of lasers and a little black book.

Making the turn onto her street, she reminisced to when she had to face certain things head on, whether she wanted to or not.

_Mr. Deeks has been shot._

Even now, years later, the words made her shiver, cold fear settle into her heart. Standing in the corridor, clutching his badge and watch, praying to whatever God was listening to her that He spare Marty Deeks. She found herself silently trying to make deals, promising to give up chocolate and beer if He would help her partner come through. As she was standing there, staring at his photo, the hospital Chaplain had walked by, and pressed a Hershey's Kiss into her hand. He had smiled kindly at her before walking away. She looked at the chocolate in her hand back to the chaplain, not believing what was happening. As soon as he rounded the corner, the other doors opened and Deeks was wheeled through, bandages covering his torso. She listened as the doctor told her the extent of his injuries and assured her he would be okay.

While she waited for him to wake up, she decided that God _had_ listened to her prayers, but he didn't want her to change for it. The chocolate habit was okay. Instead of eating it, she put it on the side table. She wasn't ready to take chances just yet. Not when he hadn't woken up.

When she walked back into his room after he got re-stitched back up from saving her life (again), she noticed a second Hershey's Kiss on the table. She ran out of the room, seeing the chaplain for a brief second before he rounded another corner.

She asked Deeks about it – what he was thinking about when he realized the shooters were after her. He had told her he prayed - for the first time since he can remember - that she would be okay. He bargained that he would help would help her with her junk food addiction, and he would do whatever he had to do not to be the weakest link again.

She had laughed at him, handing him a Kiss and told him that, together, they would close their eyes, eat the chocolate and each silently say 'thank you' that the day had ended with their prayers answered.

As she parked her car and turned the ignition off, she hesitantly got out and walked to the front door, realizing it was getting harder and harder to leave him at night. She walked in, dumped her stuff down and fell face first onto the bed, not even bothering to change her clothes.

The next morning dawned early. She pried her eyes open and looked at her phone, seeing the expected message waiting for her: _Good morning sunshine. Breakfast is on me if you wanna swing by and get me_. She replied quickly, letting him know he had half an hour to be ready or she was leaving without him.

Climbing quickly into the shower, trying to make up for lost time, she thought about every breakfast they had had together since this began. Doughnuts, burritos, tacos. He would take her wherever she wanted to go. She was smart enough to put two and two together before the first week was over – this was his way of thanking her for staying with him, for helping him keep his sanity. So began their routine (which Sam would be _almost_ appalled at) – she would bring (or buy) dinner, stay with him until he fell asleep, head home, pick him up the next morning for breakfast.

It was second nature now to see them walk into the bull pen together. Before Siderov, there would have been teasing remarks and insinuations… now, there was understanding in Sam's eyes and Callen was smart enough not to say anything.

Grabbing her stuff, she headed back to Deeks's place, wondering to herself for the millionth time why she didn't stay and crash on his couch; this was getting to be exhausting, and it wouldn't hurt her gas consumption either.

* * *

That night, she brought over pizza and beer. They sat on his couch, neither really watching the movie that was playing.

"You good Kens?"

"Yeah, I'm good. You good?"

"Oh, I'm good. Great, actually." His voice lacked the enthusiasm to actually be great, but their stellar communication was to thank for that. There was an invisible line there that had been crossed but never spoken about.

Nothing else was said that night, both lost in their own thoughts. They laid down in his bed, Kensi telling him different stories that her dad had told to her as a child, her voice getting softer as his eyes closed. She laid there next to him for a while, watching him sleep. She used her hand to brush away from hair from his face and saw his nose twitch, making her smile.

Just as she was about to roll over and get on with the nightly ritual, he slung his arm around her.

"Deeks, what are…"

"Don't go." His voice was more awake than she realized.

"I can't. I need to get home."

"Kens…"

"I just… I can't Deeks. I gotta go." And with that, she pulled away from him, getting up and hastily grabbing her things, shutting the door quietly as she left.

On the way home, she forced herself not to dwell on what had just happened. Going over old aliases, trying to name artists and their work, she did everything in her power to keep her mind from wandering.

Making it home, she grabbed a beer out of the fridge, drinking it down in record time and went to lie down, letting her mind shut off as she drifted off to sleep, this time dreaming about houses with white picket fences and blonde haired, blued eyed babies.

Rolling over the next morning, she looked at her phone and was shocked to see she didn't have a message waiting for her. Not wanting to examine why the sudden rush of disappointment hit her, she let herself enjoy a long shower for once and got ready. She didn't realize she needed to prepare herself for questions, though.

As she stopped by the drive through doughnut shop, she ordered half as many doughnuts as normal and only one coffee. When she pulled up to pay, she noticed the curious look on the cashier's face.

"Where's your boyfriend? You haven't come here by yourself in a long time." Sam would _definitely_ be appalled at this.

"Oh, he's uh, not… he's not my boyfriend. He's just a friend. And he was busy this morning, you know, doing stuff." Wow, she could not be any more lame right now. She quickly handed over her money and got the goods, immediately stuffing a doughnut in her mouth and driving off.

As she got to work, she noted that Deeks's car wasn't here yet. Narrowing her eyes, she walked in, schooling her features. She set her stuff down and grabbed a cup of coffee. While she was pouring it, she heard Deeks and Callen walk up.

What she saw when she turned around caused her jaw to hit the floor. He had just put a motorcycle helmet on his desk. _What the hell? He bought a motorcycle? When the hell did he do that?_

Before Hetty could see it, she grabbed the helmet and threw it under her desk. There was going to be a talk about this later.

They made it through the day, Kensi only having to save his ass once, when he wouldn't get out of the way of the van. She had voiced her concerns about his PTSD, telling him that yes, she did have to worry about him. They're partners, after all. _Pfft_. It was getting a lot harder to see that invisible line and she knew it. One day, things were going to explode.

She watched as Deeks handed over the keys to the motorcycle, sadly dropping them into the Operational Manager's hand. They left the mission, going to have drinks with the guys.

"Hey um, when did you get that motorcycle?" She was glad she was driving and didn't have to make a lot of eye contact right now.

"Oh. That. Yeah, I bought it about a week ago I guess? I was finally able to pick it up a few days ago, thought I'd try it out this morning. Needed the wind going through my hair, the open road." He looked over at her.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I just feel bad that you are there for me every night, talking to me while I go to sleep, and then you feel like you have to drive home afterwards. You don't have to, you know. If you don't want to sleep in the bed with me – just sayin, don't make it weird – I can take the couch instead." His puppy dog eyes almost had her veering off the road.

"I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch Deeks. I can take the couch." He opened his mouth to protest, but she put her finger up as they hit a red light.

"I either sleep on the couch, or I drive home. And I'm not staying every night. Only once in a while. When I'm way too tired to drive home or something. But don't expect it every night."

The light turned green and she pressed the gas, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Yeah, okay. I can work with that. But um, hey, just so you know, I'm not going to do anything stupid. I really am good. Every day is a little better. I know it didn't look like it today, but I needed to clear my head this morning and that seemed like a good idea. This afternoon, I really was going to jump out of the way, you just beat me to it. But I'll work on my timing next time." He smirked at her, and she wanted to smack him in the shoulder but she didn't, thankful at that moment she was driving.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time."

"Come on Fern, there's _always_ a next time."

"Not with everything." Her mind drifted back to Siderov. No way in hell was she letting anything like that happen again.

Pulling into her normal parking space, they headed inside, ready to start the night time dance all over again.

* * *

_AN - A little nervous about this one. I would love to hear your thoughts on it_.


	5. Midnight Visit

_PROMPT: Deeks gets a visit from Kensi's dad - requested by Guest/Sokoto_

_HUGE thanks to bookdiva for looking it over and letting me know I didn't mess it all up. :) Seriously, she's the BEST!_

* * *

He watched as a man walked up to him. He was older, clean shaven, short hair. Deeks knew immediately who it was - Kensi had a ton of pictures of him around the house. And because he knew who it was, Deeks also knew this wasn't real. A dream maybe? Hallucination? The stress of everything was apparently starting to get to him. Deciding to just go with it, he waited until the man was close enough before he stuck his hand out to shake it.

"Mr. Blye."

"Marty Deeks." Donald Blye took the offered hand, firmly shaking it before letting go. Deeks suddenly felt shy.

"Um, not that it isn't an honor to meet you sir, but um, well, what's happening right now? I haven't died have I?" The thought suddenly hit Deeks, and he felt nauseous.

Donald, for his part, let out a little chuckle, noticing the color leave the younger man's face.

"Relax son, you aren't dead. You're sleeping right now, which is good, because tomorrow is going to be a big day for you."

Instantly relaxing, knowing he hadn't somehow broken his promise to Kensi, he nodded.

"Yes sir, it is a big day. I um, I wanted to get your permission, you know, before I asked her. I figured the closest I could come was your grave site, so…."

"I heard you that day. And I've watched the two of you." After seeing the look of horror that was now settled on his face, Donald starting laughing again.

"Don't worry, I've never seen anything a father shouldn't see. But I have seen what every father wants to see when it comes to his daughter finding love. I've seen how you have opened her up, showed her how to live again. She was a mess when I died. And just when she started getting everything in order again, Jack came into her life. I thought at that time he was what she needed."

Donald started walking, and Deeks followed, noticing they were in a park. The trees were green, the sun was shining. He heard birds chirping in the background. He could feel the warm breeze on his face, almost smelling the ocean. _Wow, this is the realest dream I think I've ever had._

Donald stopped, sitting on a bench and motioned for Deeks to follow. After getting comfortable, Deeks waited for his deceased future father-in-law to continue.

"Jack had just proposed to her when he was sent overseas. I was proud of the way she kept going, held her head up and waited for him. I guess that stems from the years she waited for me to come home." He hung his head, and Deeks could see the sadness that now covered his features.

"But when he came back, he wasn't the same man. I had to stand by, unable to do _anything_, as things slowly started unraveling. I never left her side when Jack left her on Christmas morning. I know there was nothing I could do, but I couldn't leave her."

They both sat there, one man remembering the way his daughter had crumbled, the other man knowing there was nothing in this world short of death that could make him leave her side.

"I cheered from the sidelines as she trained to become an agent. I know there were many nights she laid in bed, talking to me, telling me her fears and hopes for the future. I proudly stood up and clapped for her when she graduated from training." The sadness had evaporated, his face now showing the utmost pride he had in his only child.

"I was nervous when she joined the Office of Special Projects. I knew what they were trained for, and while I never doubted her ability to do the job, I worried about the situations she would be put in, making life and death decisions at the drop of a hat."

Now this was something Deeks could understand.

"Believe me Mr. Blye, I couldn't understand more about that. But at the end of the day, there's no one else I would rather have out there with me, watching my back as I watch hers. She's damn good sir, the best partner I have ever had the privilege of working with."

"Come on Marty, we are almost family. Call me Donald."

Deeks chuckled. "Yes sir."

Donald just shook his head at him, a smile now playing on his lips.

"When she was assigned to her team now, I knew that Callen and Sam would watch out for her. I had hoped she would open up a little to them, and she did in her own way, but they never pushed her into telling them her problems. When Dom was assigned her new partner, I was apprehensive at first. He was just so new, and I didn't want to see my daughter again here in Heaven because of a rookie mistake. But it turns out, I was going to be meeting him instead."

He remained quiet for a while, each gathering their thoughts.

"And then she met Jason Wyler. I'm not gonna lie son, you had me worried for a while. You talk a big game, and I was nervous you would wind up breaking her heart. I saw how effortless you made it look getting close to her, making her open up. I wanted to know that you would safe guard her secrets and not be just another play boy."

"Sir – Donald, I would never… "

"I know. The longer you two remained partners, the more I saw past your humor deflected answers and into the man you hid away. A lot of my questions were answered when you risked your life to pull her from the room full of lasers. I'm not going to lie son, if I had had a heart, it would have stopped when you did that. But I think for me, the straw that tipped the camel's back was after the case she had to get close to that guy; you know, the house blew up?"

"Stanley King. Yeah, that's not something I'm ever going to forget."

"When it was over, you showed up at her house with a shake, burgers and beer. You didn't give her a chance to say no to you, and I admired that."

"Well, she didn't make it easy, that's for sure, but I knew if I had tried calling first she would have pushed me away, so showing up with gifts was my next move." He smiled, remembering that night.

"After that, I knew I didn't have anything to worry about. I know she can take care of herself – she is my daughter after all – but I was happy to know she had someone in her life she could count on, even if it was bringing beers over after a hard case."

"That girl does like her beer."

"Something else she got from me." They shared a knowing smile before he continued.

"There were times I saw the war within her, wanting to move past a partnership and friendship, but scared of what would happen when you decided to leave her, too." Deeks opened his mouth to speak, but Donald interrupted him.

"I know, you aren't ever going to willingly leave her. But she didn't know that. She may be tougher than nails, with a punch that can take down a guy twice her size, but she's still a woman underneath it all. Something she used to forget."

He stood up at that, walking back across the park, leaving Deeks to catch up. They made their way to the ocean this time, each one staring at the vast expanse of it.

"She came here to read the journal I left her. She sat here pondering the 'what if's' in life. Did you know that this is the place where she battled the war within, leaving a relationship with you as the victor? And tomorrow, this is the spot where you will finally make an honest woman out of her." He looked over at Deeks and smiled.

"Remember that day you asked for her hand? That breeze you felt on your face was the only way I could answer you. I hoped the calming affect it seemed to have told you that I would be proud to have you as a son-in-law."

"That… that was you?" He vividly remembered as soon as he had asked, the unusually still air had started moving and a soothing breeze hit him, making him feel at peace from the inside out.

"Well, it was only thing I could think of at the time."

"So, if that was all you could do, then how…?"

"Oh, well, the big guy gave me a one-time pass, seeing how tomorrow is kind of a big deal."

"So, well, why did you visit me and not Kensi? Not that I'm not enjoying our little chat, but I would think you would want to talk to her." Deeks was thoroughly confused at this point.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I would have given anything to see her and talk to her again, face to face. But she has enough on her mind already. She's ready for this Marty, don't think she isn't. But I know if I had shown up tonight, then that's all she would have thought about tomorrow, and her heartache would have overshadowed her happiness. And that's not something I will ever do to her. She deserves all the happiness in the world. And you can give that to her."

Suddenly, Donald looked over, seeing something that Deeks couldn't.

"Well, that's my signal. Time's up. Will you do me a favor?"

Without hesitation, Deeks answered, "Anything."

"Tell her I love her. And that no matter what, I'm by her side always."

"I can do that. Thank you sir."

"Take care of her Marty. She's always going to be my little girl, and as the father of the bride, I have to tell you that if you hurt her, there will be hell to pay when you come to the other side."

"No offenseDonald, but I think I'm more scared of Kensi than you. Not that you aren't scary, but have you seen that one move she can do?" Deeks shuddered at the thought.

"Who do you think taught her that? She already had moves when she went into the academy. She wouldn't be my daughter if she didn't teach them a thing or two."

Deeks chuckled, watching Donald walk off towards the setting sun, until nothing could be seen and his mind went black.

Blinking his eyes, Deeks woke up. His breathing was slightly ragged and he laid there, trying to calm the mad beating of his heart. The clock read 6:15am.

He reached absently to the cold sheets next to him knowing she wasn't there. Julia had convinced her it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, so Kensi had stayed with her mom. He ran his hand where she should be, wanting nothing more than to curl up and wake her with slow kisses and sensual touches. But knowing that he could do that starting tomorrow, for the rest of their lives, he decided it was time to get up.

He drove the beach, surfboard in hand, and paddled out. The sea was calm today, which Kensi would like, but it wasn't exactly conducive for surfing. He sat there, remembering everything about his dream and the things that her dad had told him. Suddenly, he felt the same warm breeze on his face. He looked at the horizon, and noticed a swell. He didn't question it, just started paddling and jumped to his feet, riding the wave to the beach. As soon as it ended, he looked back at the sea and saw nothing but calmness.

"Thanks, Donald. I needed that." One more soft breeze ruffled his hair and he laughed.

* * *

Ten insanely slow hours later, he stood at the altar, waiting on his beautiful bride to walk down the make shift aisle. It was a small ceremony, only their family from OSP there to witness and a few of Donald's friends that Kensi had kept in touch with and Kensi's mom. Even Monty had a spot. Deeks and the guys had set up the chairs and the altar and then left, allowing the ladies a chance to finish everything else without letting the bride and groom see each other.

The final effects of their efforts was more than worth it. The small row of chairs were lined with white tulle and orange Tiger Lilies that were identical to the decorations on the altar. It was simple, it was beautiful, but more than anything it was _them_. Deeks and Kensi had each decided to stand up there alone. Hetty had agreed to officiate, and Kensi had asked both Sam and Callen to walk her down the aisle.

The trademark breeze started again, and Deeks smiled. He knew her dad wouldn't miss this for anything in the world.

He heard the chords of the wedding march and looked up. He watched as the most beautiful woman in the world walked towards him, her white lacy dress flowing around her, hair down and wavy with just a few strands pulled away from her face. She had her arms linked between two dapper men who eachwore proud smiles. He thought he caught a glimpse of something else right behind her, but before he could blink, it was gone. She never took her eyes off his as she made her way down the aisle.

The service was beautiful, each wanting to say their own vows**,** and when they were done**, **and Hetty declared them man and wife, there wasn't a dry eye in attendance.

"Mrs. Kensi Deeks."

"Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Deeks himself was quite pleased with it.

"Agent Kensi Deeks. Yeah, I think I can get used to it."

"Well I hope so. Marty Blye won't work because then you couldn't call me Deeks anymore. And where's the fun in that?"

"You don't think it will be weird for me to call you Deeks now, seeing as that's my last name too?"

"Well it's not like you're going to start calling me Marty." He saw the question in her eyes. "No, I don't want you to start calling me that. I'm Deeks. You're Kensi. Or Princess. Sugarbear. Fern. Wifey. Nothing is changing."

"Yet everything is changing."

"Only for the better Kens. I promise you that."

Kensi picked up a glass of champagne. They had decided to just add a few tables to the scene instead of going anywhere. At Kensi's request, pizza had been ordered and was now being delivered.

"Okay, I'm just going to say this. Our wedding food is pizza. Pizza, champagne and beer. I still don't know if I should be appalled or relish the thought that I'm the luckiest man on Earth."

Kensi laughed at him. The subject of food had been a huge debate, and they had flipped a coin to determine the winner. Kensi wanted pizza, because is was simple, easy, and it went well with beer. Deeks had wanted it catered from the Italian restaurant down the road. Kensi chose tails, Deeks got left with heads. The coin was flipped and landed on heads. Before Deeks could boast that he was the winner, Kensi had taken her shirt off and kissed him. Before it could get too far, she pulled back and pouted a little.

"That landed on tails, right?" She batted her eyes at him and he was gone.

"Yeah, sure did. I didn't see heads, did you?" Yep, he was a sucker, and he didn't care. If pizza made her happy, then that's what they were going with.

They were both lost in thought, remembering how the decision was made when suddenly Kensi's face turned almost sad.

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours Mrs. Deeks?"

"I wish my dad was here." At these words, Deeks was fully prepared for the breeze that hit them both.

"He is Kensi. He wouldn't let you get married without him. He may not be here physically, but he's watching over you. Always." He put his finger under her chin and kissed her softly.

"Now, grab me a beer woman, and let's get this party started!" He laughed when she hit him with an empty pizza box.

"I think you got that mixed up in your head. And if you want a real honeymoon, I would suggest fixing it right now."

"Anything for you darlin' just say the word."

"The word is beer Deeks. Now."

"God you're classy."

"Thought I was more sassy than classy."

"We're going to have to work on your pick up of sarcasm." Kensi snorted.

"I understand sarcasm." Deeks threw his hands in front of him, making a hasty retreat to get his wife her beverage of choice.

"Yeah, sure you do." He took another step back and coughed loudly, saying 'bullshit' with it. Kensi narrowed her eyes and Deeks took off running, his wife right on his heels.

Everyone else just sat there, watching the newlyweds. Sam was the first to speak.

"So G, I'll make a wager with you. Ten bucks says Deeks doesn't make it back from the honeymoon without at least 4 new bruises."

"You're on Sam. I say it's more like 10. I mean, look at them." They both looked over. Kensi had caught up to him and proceeded to smack him in the arm. Deeks grabbed her around the waist and dipped her, forcing her to put her arms around her neck to steady herself while he made use of their current position, kissing her senseless.

"Come on guys. Wait until the damn honeymoon. Or at least until we've left." Kensi took one of her hands and flipped offSam, making everyone laugh.

An hour later, the sun had set and the happy couple made their way to their car, both in shock that Kensi's SRX was sporting the traditional JUST MARRIED on the back windshield and beer cans were tied to the bumper. Sam and Callen had booked them a room at an upscale hotel for the night, Hetty had bought them first class tickets to Hawaii and everyone had pitched in for a four night stay at one of the resorts on the island.

Kensi sat in the car, thinking of her dad and missing him. Deeks knew immediately where her thoughts were and went about reassuring her.

"Sweetheart, he was there today. Trust me. He loves you so much and there was no way he was going to miss it."

"How…?"

"The way you talk about him, I know not even death would have kept him away."

"I know, I just wish it had been in person."

Deeks took her hand and brought it to his lips. They were quiet the rest of the way. While Deeks handed the keys over for the valet parking, he took his wife's hand and led her inside.

"Wow, I am pretty sure we are over-dressed for this." Deeks laughed at her, knowing they were getting more than a few stares. It wasn't every day you saw a just-married couple still dressed in their wedding attire.

"I definitely think you are over-dressed, but I don't want anyone else to see what's mine." A blush crept up on her cheeks. They checked in and got their room key, being told that their luggage had already arrived.

Deeks turned, and before she could protest, he scooped her up and started carrying her towards the elevators, making Kensi throw her head back and laugh.

"Really Deeks? Are you going to carry me all the way up?"

"That's was the plan, but I think you should lay off the pizza for a while."

"I can see you didn't want a proper wedding night." He laughed at her, pushing the button for the elevator. As they stood there waiting, they could hear clapping. He turned them both and saw that everyone in the lobby was watching them, giving them a round of applause.

Both of the started blushing, and as they said their thanks, the door dinged and they climbed on, Deeks never letting his bride down. They reached their floor, and Kensi had to help him get the door open since Deeks was determined to carry her over their first threshold.

"Come on Superman. I think since you made it to the room, you deserve a reward."

His laughter rang out as the door closed behind them.

* * *

_AN - this one is a little different. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. :) Hope you enjoyed it!_


	6. The Brave Knight

_PROMPT: Kensi has to explain to their child why daddy doesn't like the dentist - for bookdiva_

* * *

"C'mom Kensi, this is the third time this month you've had to reschedule the appointment. First it was because of that bomb maker who decided to try his hand at international sales, then it was because you actually forgot about the appointment…"

"And I still feel really bad about that, but I'd like to refresh your memory on exactly _why_ I forgot."

"A sale on Twinkies does not excuse your forgetting your own child's exam date."

"You know what? I blame you for that one. You're the one who told me about it. And you know what happens when Twinkie's are involved."

"Ohhhhh oh oh do I know. The fact remains dear heart, this is the third time this month we've had to reschedule. They may not allow another reset."

"You think I don't know that Deeks? I feel horrible but what can I do? There's no way I'll make it in time." Kensi honked the horn again, the freeway resembling a parking lot at this point.

"I'll just… I can take him." Deeks voice had gotten quiet.

"No Deeks, I can do it. I'll just make sure that the appointment is first thing in the morning so that way it's the first thing I do."

"Kens, sweetheart, light of my life. I love you so much but sometimes your time management is not…up to par."

Kensi narrowed her eyes. He may not be able to actually see her right now, but she knew that no matter where he was, he could feel her death glare.

"You don't scare me anymore Sugarbear. The moment you said 'I Do', that told me that as much as you want to, you're a little more vested in me being alive and well now. So get the glare off your face." She could hear the smile and affection in his voice, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Bad Ass Blye had gone soft for her scruffy surfer husband.

"Touché."

"God Kens, hearing you use that correctly, it does things to me. Good thing you're sitting in traffic right now and not here."

"Oh…why is that a good thing exactly?"

"Well, because your son is currently running around naked and unless you'd like to find a puddle – or worse – somewhere, then my attention needs to be on that. I thought potty training was supposed to be easier than this. Anyway, I've got to get him dressed and ready to go. Seriously, I'll take him."

She listened as he chased around a naked three year old, hearing squeals of delight from her son and the love of her life trying to negotiate a Pull-Up.

"Come on Deeks. I've seen you talk down people with guns and explosives, you aren't going to let our son win this, are you?"

"I think he got my speed. Wow, yep, he took off again. Man he's fast."

Kensi couldn't help, she started laughing so hard it made her snort.

"If he's outrunning you, than he definitely got the speed from me."

"If telling yourself that helps you sleep at night Princess, go for it. But we both know the real truth. Okay Kens, I'm gonna have to let you go. I gotta wrangle the child into clothes."

"Okay. Deeks, I'll try and meet you there, okay? If I can manage to get off this god forsaken freeway, I should get there just in time."

Deeks appreciated what she was trying to do, but he knew sooner or later he was going to have to wrestle this particular demon.

"It's okay. Just be careful. If you make it, great. If not, then Donny and I will manage just fine. Right big guy?" She heard Donny agree with him.

"God Deeks, I'm so sorry. I love you, and I'll try and be there soon, okay?"

"Nothing to be sorry about Princess. I'll be fine." Kensi snorted at this. "Good. I'll be good. We both will. I love you, too. See ya soon." And with that, they both hung up the phone.

* * *

Deeks pulled up to the doctor's office. It was child friendly and he and Kensi had done a lot of research on different places to take Donny. He got his son out of the car seat and took his hand. Donny was all smiles, liking his check up's, but the moment Kensi had told him she wouldn't make it in time to take him, Deeks had started feeling anxious. His beautiful wife was usually the one who brought Donny to these appointments because she knew Deeks still had some unresolved issues.

They walked in and Deeks signed them in. Sitting in the chair, Donny playing with his toy car, Deeks couldn't stop bouncing his leg. Next to follow was tapping his other leg with his fingers.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Donny looked at him, picking up on his daddy's unease at being there.

"Yeah son, I'm okay. You're not nervous at all, are you?" Seeing his son's shake of his head, Deeks smiled at him. "That's because you're a big boy, huh?"

"Yep, I'm a big boy daddy, just like you!" Deeks smiled at him, but he wasn't feeling very big right now. Before anything else was said, the nurse called them back.

She got Donny situated in the chair, putting the big napkin around his neck and telling him jokes. Deeks sat in the chair, leg bouncing again on it's own. He didn't think he could stop it if he tried. He was determined not to let his nervousness show to his son, but he realized he was failing miserably. Donny watched him, picking up way more than a three year old should.

"Daddy, do you want to hold my hand? Mommy holds my hand when I get scared and it always helps me." His big brown eyes, so much like Kensi's, bore into his.

"Yeah, I think that's just what I need." He grabbed his son's hand, and was shocked to find that it helped. His leg stopped shaking and Deeks' breathing evened out.

They quietly sang songs while they waited for the doctor to come in. They had just finished the Itsy Bitsy Spider when Dr. Joy came around the corner.

"Well Mr. Deeks and Mr. Deeks. I see you've finally made the appointment." She smiled kindly at them both.

"Well, his mom is usually the one to bring him, obviously, she just, she got stuck in traffic today and with the other rescheduled appointments, we agreed that I should bring him." He had let go of his son's hand when the doctor had walked in and now his palms were sweaty. He rubbed them on his pants, Dr. Joy picking up on his nervousness.

"It's okay Mr. Deeks. It's just a routine check of his teeth. Nothing to be nervous about."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm fine. Good. I'm good. Just a routine check. Of course." His rambling was getting out of control.

Dr. Joy turned her attention to Donny.

"Okay Donny, open wide and let's look at those pearly whites."

Deeks watched wide eyed as his braver-than-daddy son opened his mouth and let the doctor poke around in his mouth. Deeks tried not to focus on the various instruments of death laying around the room, instead watching his son's face. _This was a terrible idea_.

Deeks tried, he really did, but he couldn't keep the fear out his voice when he suddenly asked, "You're uh, you're not going to use the drill, are you?" Dr. Joy stopped, confusion and concern written on her face.

"No, Mr. Deeks. Don't worry. I won't use the drill today." She didn't know what had happened to this man in front of her, but she tried to do everything she could to reassure him.

"If you'll excuse me for just a moment. I'll be right back." She got up, and Donny looked over at his dad, offering his hand again. Deeks took it, grateful that this tiny human could offer him comfort, even though he felt bad that his three year old son was having to take pity on his grown father.

"Thanks buddy. That really helps." He leaned over, kissing the side of his head as Dr. Joy walked back in.

"Okay, I'd say about ten more minutes and then we will be all done." She smiled widely, knowing she may not be able to ease the father's fears about the dentist. The way he had paled asking about the drill, she knew she could at least spare him that. What he didn't know is she had gone to other doctor's in the practice and explained the situation, all agreeing that no drills would be used while he was there. Because their appointment was almost over, if any drilling had to be done, it could wait until they left.

She talked aimlessly for the remaining visit, asking them both questions and effectively keeping the bigger Mr. Deeks preoccupied.

"Okay Donny. We are all done. I am happy to report that all of your teeth look good, no cavities!" She smiled widely, giving Donny a high five. Deeks grinned, happy to hear that no further work was needed right now.

"Good job buddy! No cavities!" He was next to give his son a high five, before lifting him out of the chair.

"Okay Mr. Deeks. Since everything looks good, all of his teeth for his age are there, I don't see a reason for him to need to come back before a year. As long he doesn't have any complaints about tooth pain, he should be okay. Remember though, he still has some teeth that will come through, his molars, so expect some discomfort when they start coming in."

"Yes ma'am, thank you Dr. Joy. And uh, sorry about that in there. I don't have the best memories of dental work." He put his hand on the back of his neck, trying to shake off the unease he couldn't seem to get rid of.

"I don't know what happened, Mr. Deeks, but I assure you that not all dental work is bad."

"Let's just say that the last time I had work done, they weren't exactly qualified to do the job." Suddenly, Dr. Joy remembered something she had seen on Donny's paperwork. His father was a Detective with LAPD. She wondered if that had something to do with his obvious…. _reluctance_ fordental work.

She nodded, not pushing it any further. She walked them up to the front desk and let Donny pick out a sticker for being a good boy. After he picked one, she turned to Deeks.

"You too, Mr. Deeks. He wasn't the only one who did well today." Deeks laughed at this, snagging a sticker and putting it on his shirt, just as Donny had done.

As soon as they walked out the door, Deeks immediately relaxed. Just as he was putting Donny in his car seat, Kensi pulled up, hopping out of the car.

"Hey, sorry. I got here as soon as I could. How was it?" She looked at her husband with concern in her eyes.

"It was…okay. We made it through, that's what matters." She put her hand on his arm before looking at Donny.

"So, any cavities big guy?"

"No mommy. No cavities for me!"

"Well, what do you say we go get some cupcakes to celebrate?"

"Yay! I want a cupcake mommy!"

"Really Kens? Really? We literally just walked out of the dentist's office with a clean bill of teeth healthiness and now you want to go sugar his teeth up?"

"Well, I was thinking more for you for making it through, but hey, if you don't want to…."

"Oh… no, I'm all for getting a cupcake. I mean, he was a big boy during the whole thing. We should definitely go celebrate." She laughed, leaning in to give her little big boy a kiss on the cheek and then turned to her big big boy, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Ewww mommy. Don't give kisses."

"I think daddy deserved it." They both chuckled and then headed off, ready to put this behind them.

* * *

Kensi read her son a bed time story before finally tucking him in. Just as she was about to turn the light off, she heard his sleepy voice ask her the question she was dreading.

"Mommy, why is daddy afraid of the dentist?" Kensi sighed. She knew it was coming, but had still hoped he would have forgotten about it. She walked back over and sat down on his bed.

"How about one more story, huh?" At his nod, she thought about the best way to tell her son the story without giving him nightmares that still plagued his father every so often.

"Once upon a time, there was a brave knight."

"Is daddy the brave knight?"

"He sure is. So, one day, the brave knight was watching over his friend Knight Samuel while he talked to outlaws, trying to get them to show him where they had hidden their treasure. All of a sudden, the outlaws threw Knight Samuel into a lake. Because of his armor, Knight Samuel sank to the bottom. The brave knight saw this, and ran to the rescue. He quickly took his armor off and dived in after his friend, pulling him out just in time." She could see Donny's eyes getting heavy and continued with the story, wanting him to understand but not wanting to repeat this particular adventure again.

"As soon as the brave night pulled Knight Samuel from the lake, the outlaws were there waiting for them. They took both knights hostage, and led them away to their secret lair. Upon learning this, Princess Fern grew very worried, determined to find her brave knight and bring him back home safely."

"Mommy, are you Princess Fern?"

"Of course I am honey. Now, Princess Fern teamed up with Knight Cal, knowing they were the only ones brave enough to go after their friends. They searched high and low for their missing friends. Meanwhile, in the secret lair, Knight Samuel and our brave knight were tied up in chairs, the bad guys demanding to know which kingdom they worked for. But neither one would tell them, knowing they had to protect their kingdom. So the outlaws decided to get creative. They thought hurting the knights would make them talk."

"Oh no, mommy! Is the brave knight going to get hurt?"

"A little bit baby, but it's okay. So they decided to start with Knight Samuel first, doing whatever they could think of to find out which kingdom they served. When Knight Samuel wouldn't talk, they moved to the brave knight. It turns out, one of the outlaws had always wanted to be a dentist but had never gone to school for it. But that didn't deter the bad guy. He decided since he wasn't ever going to be a _real_ dentist, he could try playing pretend now and see if he could get the brave knight to talk. So the bad guy decided to check and see if the brave knight had any cavities, but he wasn't gentle like Dr. Joy was with you today. The bad guy hurt the brave knight, but it didn't make him talk."

"When does Princess Fern find the brave knight?"

"She'd find him sooner if a certain little one would listen." She leaned down, giving her son a raspberry on his tummy, making him laugh.

"While this was happening, Princess Fern and Knight Calwere searching furiously, never resting until they found them. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two figured out where the secret lair was. They made their plans and broke in, but they couldn't get their friends out right away. Before they knew it, the outlaws were coming back and the two had to hide and wait for them to leave again. Knight Samuel and the brave knight were upset about that, but they understood, they didn't want their friends to get caught either. Princess Fern was not happy about having to leave the brave knight in the chair, and she promised him she would be back for him. A little while later, the outlaws left again, and Princess Fern and Knight Calrescued their friends, getting them out of the secret lair before the bad guys came back. What the bad guys didn't know was that their kingdom had sent an army to avenge the knights that were taken. As soon as the bad guys returned, all the knights in the kingdom descended and captured the bad guys, making sure they never hurt anyone else again."

They sat their silently for a minute, Kensi allowing time for her words to sink in.

"So, some bad guys got daddy and one of them wanted to be a dentist, but wasn't a real dentist, and he hurt daddy's teeth? That's why he doesn't like the dentist?" She was thankful at that moment that their son was so smart.

"Yes baby. But daddy is okay. He may not like the dentist that much, but he put his fear behind him today to take you."

"I even held his hand mommy. I know when I'm scared of something you always hold my hand and it makes me not scared anymore."

"See, you helped daddy. I'm so proud of you sweetheart." Donny's eyes were closing, but he had one more thing to say.

"Daddy is always going to be brave, no matter what." Kensi's eyes filled with tears at these words.

"Yeah baby, daddy is always going to be brave." She noticed his breathing had evened out, so she snuck out of the room, being quiet so as not to wake him up.

As soon as the door clicked close, she felt her husband's arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey you. How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that Princess Fern saved her brave knight from the outlaws." He pulled her closer, amazed at the depths of this woman and her way with their son.

"Well, you know, someone had to do it." He chuckled at her.

"So, this knight had another idea for a reward for being brave." He kissed her neck, making sure he didn't leave any room for doubt as to where his thoughts were.

"Hmmmm… I think my brave knight has deserved the Princess Fern special."

"Now that's what I'm talking about. What does uh, what does that entail?"

She pulled away from him laughing.

"Ice cream and chocolate syrup. No spoons." She winked at him, noticing his mouth was open.

"Come on brave knight. You don't get the special by just standing there." He came to, immediately following her.

"You get the ice cream, I'll get the syrup and we'll meet in the room. Whoever gets there last goes last."

"I don't think it really matters, do you? I'm pretty sure we will both enjoy your special treat." She kissed him, making him lose himself in her arms before she pulled away, quickly grabbing the ice cream and running to their room laughing.

Deeks stood there, smile on his lips. _Well played, Princess Fern. Well Played. _He grabbed the chocolate syrup and followed after her, eagerly anticipating the treat that awaited him.

* * *

AN - Hope you liked it! Leave me a review and let me know. :)


	7. Sand

_PROMPT: Deeks and Sam talk about partnerships/relationships - requested by JKO73 (I felt like this was a good time to post it after last nights episode)_

_THANK YOU to bookdiva for being awesome and looking it over for me!_

* * *

Deeks sat in the sand, watching the moonlight reflect off the water and listened to the waves gently lapping against the shore. He had told Sam that he would meet up with them for sushi, but he just couldn't make himself go. His head wasn't in the right place now for idle conversation.

He had been talking to Kensi every day, their own secret rendezvous. Even if she couldn't tell him anything about what she was doing (or wasn't supposed to) it was their way of staying connected. He knew that there would come a time she wouldn't be around to answer him, but he had been hoping that tonight wasn't it.

He kept replaying everything Talia had told him in the car – how she had had a relationship with her partner, too, but that it didn't work out. She made a choice to stay with the DEA and she lost her partner and her boyfriend. _Will that happen to us?_ And he had _needed_ to talk to her tonight, even if it was a good morning/good night kinda thing. But as it seemed to be happening more frequently now, fate had stepped in and he never got a response from her.

So lost in thought, Deeks almost missed the chirp of his phone, signaling a new message coming in. He glanced at it and saw it was Sam. _Well, you did tell him you would show up__._

_Hey everything ok? – Sam_

_Yeah, I'm fine. – MD_

_Where you at? If you don't tell me, I'm having Eric trace your phone. Save everyone the work. – Sam_

_Beach. – MD_

_Be there in 10. Don't even think about leaving, I'll track you down eventually. – Sam_

He put his phone back down, not wanting company right now. He wanted to be the only person at his pity party. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. _Okay, I do, but she wasn't answering me. _He wondered what she was doing, if everything was okay.

Over the last few months since she had been gone, he had managed to not let the worry he had rule his emotions. He was a damn good undercover cop, and he knew how to push things out his mind. But at the end of the night, he would lie awake in bed and think of her. _Her smile, her laugh, everything._

What would have happened if they had started this dance earlier, before he was tortured? He winced, still unable to think about that without his heart rate increasing. Would they have made it through it? Been able to handle the pressures of more than partners/friends better? Deeks sighed, knowing that playing the 'what-if' game would only make things worse.

So lost was he in his own world, he didn't hear Sam walk up. Taking the opportunity to study Deeks without his walls up, he noticed for the first time how tired he looked, haunted almost. _Damn Hetty for splitting this team up._ Deeks had been able to continue on, showing everyone he could put one foot in the front of the other and push through, even without his rock there with him. _Is this what Hetty wanted to see? How he would handle being alone without Kensi? _He knew trying to figure out the inner workings of the Operations Manager would be futile, but he couldn't help but wonder just what exactly the end game was here.

In the moonlight, Sam saw the pain on his face, and suddenly he was glad that Deeks hadn't tried to push him away any further. He had an idea as to what this was about, and maybe he could ease his mind a little.

Sam cleared his throat, letting Deeks know he was there. Deeks glanced up at him, a blush creeping up at being caught unaware.

"So, what gave it away?" Deeks asked.

"You think Kensi is the only one who can say 'I'm fine' and have everyone know that's bullshit?" Sam tried to keep it light, but he had a feeling Deeks wasn't in a humorous mood.

"Yeah, guess you're right. Gonna have to work on that." Deeks picked up some sand in his hand, letting it run through his fingers. _Is this what it's come to? Having everything I wanted, but I have to sit back and watch it slip through my fingers?_

"The first time I saw Michelle, I thought to myself how can something so beautiful be so deadly? We were both working for the CIA then, and she was in the shooting range firing off rounds, hitting the same place on the target every time. As soon as she was done, I walked in and introduced myself as her new partner. Do you know that she scoffed at me? Said yeah, we'll see?" Sam smiled, remembering this.

Deeks went back to his first real day on the job, overhearing Kensi talking to Eric, asking if he was the best LAPD had. He smiled, forgiving her immediately but knowing it was going to be an interesting ride.

"Well, Michelle is a bad ass."

"Ha! Yeah, she is definitely that. But under that hard exterior is a woman who loves me beyond words, who would do anything for our kids. She is soft, kind, caring. Don't tell her I said that or I will kill you. But our journey to now, well, it's filled with heartache and pain, joy and tears. Every relationship has its ups and downs, but when it comes to people like us, who put our lives on the line every day, we know just how precious life really is."

Deeks was watching him. He had thought about talking to Sam about this in the past, but he never knew how to bring it up, the timing never quite right for it.

"Michelle and I, we are the exception, the anomaly. Having a personal relationship with your partner, knowing when to turn the boyfriend off and the partner on, it's not easy. Most partnerships don't make it when something happens. You don't mean for it to happen, but you spend every day with someone, it's hard not to fall in love, especially when the connection you have with each other gets stronger every day. And then, once you do decide to take the next step, you can't go back."

Deeks knew that. He and Kensi, they had taken the next step, given into their thing finally, and it was beautiful, surpassing every fantasy he had ever had. The next morning, for all its awkwardness and the trouble that followed, it had started to work itself out by midday. He could still hear Kensi saying "all we have to do is talk about it." He knew he should have recorded it, but he had no idea then that the promise to be patient would end up like this.

"How do you do it, Sam? How do you watch the woman you love go into dangerous situations and _not_ put your personal feelings first? How do you make it work?" That was the real question. He had no idea how to make it work, only that they were going to try.

"One day at a time, one OP at a time. Each situation is different, and you both have to learn to think like a partner, not a significant other. Because thinking that that will get one of you killed. It could have gotten Kensi killed that day with the Ghurka. And hell, Kensi disobeying Callen's orders like that, running into the situation heart first, not head first, well it could have gotten you killed if she _hadn't_ done it. You have to find the balance there, what works for you both. It's not easy, and there will be mishaps, but how you learn from those and move on from them, that's what will either make you or break you."

Deeks thought about this for a minute. He went back in time and replayed the entire day in his head.

"Sometimes a knife is just a knife." Deeks muttered those words to himself, but Sam heard him.

"And sometimes it's not."

"You know, right before I got into the ambulance with Thappa, she made me promise to be patient with her. She said we could do this, our thing, as long as we talked about it. But Sam, the longer she's gone, the longer we go without actually talking about it, the more I feel a wedge coming between us. I worry about her constantly, wondering what's going on over there."

"Worried about a partner or a girlfriend?" Deeks scoffed at his question.

"Not even sure she is my girlfriend. We didn't make it that far in the conversation. Well, I mean she did say she had a boyfriend, and I said so does my girlfriend, but does that make it official? God damn it Sam, I don't know." The frustration at the whole situation was becoming very apparent, and Sam's heart went out to him, but he waited to Deeks to talk, knowing he had more to say.

"I just… I worry about my partner over there without someone to watch her back. Doing God knows what on a classified assignment with no one she can trust. I worry about – and I'm just saying this for the good of the conversation – my girlfriend who is half way around the world without me. What if something happens and she needs me and I'm not there? What if this is too much? What if…" Deeks stopped, knowing this was his biggest fear.

"What if the time and distance pulls us apart? What if she decides that we have to be just partners, and I'm not there to talk to her about it. Jesus Christ Sam, if she comes home and tells me that we can't be together, I don't know what I'll do."

There, he said it, his worst fear other than her coming home in a body bag. Every night, he worried that the distance between him and Kensi would grow. He knew his partner well enough that if too much time went on, she would start questioning her – their- decision to be together. She would start seeing

this as some kind of sign that they had to remain partners and friends, nothing more. That it wasn't fair to either of them to have to sit around and wait while the other left for assignment.

So when he got the satellite phone from Hetty at Christmas, he made sure to talk to her whenever she called, to make her laugh and ramble on about nothing. He needed her to remember his voice, his jokes, _him_. The selfies he would send her to remind her that he was still here, waiting for her. And when she had come up with the idea to meet and message each other at 6am her time, he jumped at the chance, knowing he had to do whatever he could to remind her of his promise to her, to keep some kind of connection alive. He would be patient, no matter how long it took. He had no doubts about that. But he couldn't fathom waiting for her and all of sudden she comes home and changes her mind about them.

Sam put his hand on Deeks shoulder, bringing him back to here and now.

"Kensi… she's one of the most stubborn women I've ever met. You have a point, there is every possibility that she will come home from this a different woman and decide she can't have a relationship with you. If she does that, Deeks, you have to make the decision to either accept it, or change her mind. You've done it once. She cares about you, a lot more than she will admit to herself. You are her weakness. If she says that she can't do it, you use that to your advantage. Bring her back to you. If you want this, more than anything, you show her you aren't going anywhere. That you both deserve to be happy, and that happiness means living life unafraid."

"Sam, I don't know if I can go through this again. This back and forth horrible communication we have." He whispered it, feeling like he was betraying her by even thinking it.

"If you love her like I think you do, the way I love Michelle, you will do whatever you have to do to make sure that she knows that. You will wait for her no matter how long it takes, because a love like that, it will never come around again. Don't give up Deeks. If there is something I am sure of, it's that you are just as stubborn as she is. You know the buttons to push, the comments to make. Remind her who she is, who you are, and that together, you both are so much more."

"Sam, uh… do you… I mean… Damn it. See, horrible communication." Deeks shook his head.

"Just spit it out Deeks." The big man smiled at him, letting him know he was here for a reason.

"Do you… do you think we will make it?" Deeks looked at him when he asked the question. Sam saw the fear there, the doubt.

"I think if anyone can beat the odds, it's you guys. Both of you have done nothing but beat the odds your entire life. Why would this be any different? Do me a favor. You've been sitting there, letting sand run through your fingers. What are you thinking about when you do that?"

"My future - her - slipping through my fingers so easily."

"Take both of your hands and scoop up the sand, keeping your fingers closed and your palms together. What happens?"

"The sand stays." He watched it for a minute.

"The sand shifts every now and then, but in the end, it stays in your hands, not slipping through your fingers."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Sam stood up, dusting the sand off.

"You two will figure it out Deeks. You always do. Don't let her forget who she is, and that you aren't going anywhere. When she gets home, find that balance. Once you do that, everything will start falling into place." Deeks gave him a small smile.

"I hope you're right Sam. But I will tell you this, I'm not giving up on her, on us. You and Michelle made it, I believe Kensi and I will make it. And I will do whatever I have to do to show her that."

"There you go. Just don't let that girl out-stubborn you. Stay a step ahead. It will work itself out eventually. Now, I gotta get home. See you at work tomorrow Deeks."

"Yeah, later man. Hey, thanks Sam. I needed this talk, more than I realized." Deeks stood up, putting his hand out to shake Sam's.

"Anytime Deeks. Anytime." They both nodded their heads at each other and began walking to their cars.

Deeks replayed the conversation with Sam on the way home. If the big guy had confidence that he and Kensi could make it work, then Deeks would do whatever he had to do to find that balance and show Kensi that they could do it. Sam was right, Deeks was just as stubborn as Kensi, he just had a more subtle way of showing it.

Getting home, he walked Monty and then got him fed. Deeks took a quick shower and laid in bed, thumbing through the photos on his phone. His heart melted every time Kensi's smile took over the screen.

"I promise Kensi, I'll be patient as long as you need." He knew Monty was the only one who could hear him, but he didn't care.

The last thing he did before going to sleep was send a text to his truly, ending it with their code phrase, letting the other know what time to be online.

_You aren't getting rid of me that easily. Good night partner. Stay safe out there. Gotta be up at 6am. –MD_

* * *

_AN - sooo...what did you think? Let me know! And either leave a review for PM if you have a prompt. I am slowly making my way through them. :)_


	8. Running with Scissors

_5X05 – Unwritten Rule:_

_"I lift with my knees, I don't eat gum I find on the street, and I don't run with scissors."_

_"What?!"_

_"That was once and I barely scratched you."_

_Requested by bookdiva - what happened with the scissors?_

* * *

It had become normal practice for Kensi to pick up dinner and meet Deeks after work. He had been back to work for almost a week now, and while she was happy to have her partner back, she also knew she couldn't just stop coming over at night.

She had been bringing dinner and beer over every night since he had finally opened the door for her, and she couldn't imagine _not_ going, scared that if she missed a night, he wouldn't be there when she came back by, or start ignoring her all together again. And that was not something she could handle.

The second day Deeks had been back to work, Kensi had made an excuse about needing to see her mom after work. She hated to do it, but she thought they both needed the space. Since he was back, he didn't need her hanging around all night anymore. Or so she thought.

Turns out, neither one of them had slept well. Kensi had tossed and turned all night, while Deeks had sat on the couch by himself, staring at the TV but not really watching it. Both of them had made excuses the next day to the guys about being tired. Sam had heard the conversation as he was leaving, and he knew the reason why they both looked like shit. Callen might think it was because they had spent the night together. Sam knew it because they hadn't. Since that night, they always made sure to grab dinner and head to the other's house for a night of bad TV and the other's company.

So, here she stood, beer in one hand, burgers in the other. She kicked the door, trying to get Deeks to come help her. Standing there and not hearing any movement, she kicked again, this time hearing Monty whine from inside. Kensi transferred the beer to her other hand and grabbed her keys, unlocking the door and stepping in.

The scene that greeted Kensi was not what she was expecting. Monty had somehow gotten is back legs caught up in the cord for the blinds, almost hog tying them together. Deeks was sitting here, intently trying to untangle the cords. He didn't even notice the door closing and Kensi walking over to them and set everything down on the ground.

"Hey, what happened?" The noise was sudden, and Deeks jumped.

"Jesus Kens. How long have you been standing there?" She narrowed her eyes a little, wondering about the almost panicked look in his eyes.

"Well, I kicked the door a couple of times trying to get your attention, but you didn't answer. I used my key when I heard Monty whining. What's going on Deeks?" By this point, she had crouched down and was petting Monty, trying to calm him down. He had the same panicked look but for obviously different reasons.

"I can't get this undone. I came home and found him like this. I have no idea how he did it, but he did it good." She could hear the frustration in his voice and put her hand on his leg. He sighed, looking up and locking eyes with her.

"It's okay Deeks. We will get him undone. Why don't you go find some scissors or something we can use to cut to the cord if I can't get it undone." Her voice was calm, for both Deeks and Monty's sake. Deeks nodded and got up.

"I'm sorry boy. Hold on, mommy and daddy will get you undone." His terminology made Kensi chuckle a little.

"Really? Mommy?" She raised her eyebrow at him, more for show than anything.

"He sees you every day Kens. You feed him when you think I'm not watching, and I _know_ I heard you call him your baby the other day. I'm gonna say 'mommy' fits pretty well." He jumped up, taking one last look at Monty before walking to the kitchen in search of the extraction equipment.

Kensi started working the cords, wondering exactly how this had happened. She concentrated on the strings, trying to get them to move a little so she would have something to work with.

As Deeks was in the kitchen looking for the requested scissors, Kensi managed to get a part of the string free and pulled on it, causing Monty to let out a yelp. He had just found the scissors when he heard Kensi talking to Monty.

"You're doing great Monty. You just have to stay still a little longer." Deeks stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly finding it hard to breath. Instead of Monty, it was him that was tied up in a chair, the sound of drills still vivid in his mind.

As soon as Kensi said it, she remembered kneeling in front of Deeks, seeing the blood pouring out of his mouth. She saw the look of fear, disappointment and confusion as soon as she had told him she couldn't rescue him yet. And if she was having a hard time remembering that, she knew Deeks wasn't in a good place right now.

"Deeks." She knew he was back in that place, but this time she would bring him out of it when he needed her to. When he didn't answer her, she tried again. "Deeks." This time her voice was a little firmer, a little louder. He looked over at her and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm uh, I'm good." He shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Here's the scissors." He started jogging over to them - anxious to get the cord undone - knowing now it wasn't just for Monty, but for himself as well. The faster his dog was untied, the faster he could put this little incident behind him. In his haste to get over to them, he tripped over the bags of food Kensi had left on the floor when she got there.

Time slowed down. As Deeks was falling forward, scissors outstretched towards Kensi, he tried to bring his hand back so he didn't stab her with it. Had he been half a second sooner, he would have missed hitting her with them completely. However, that wasted half second caused the pointy end to cut the top part of her arm, leaving a bright red mark. He hit the floor, and the scissors landed next to Kensi with a thud.

"Oh my God Deeks, are you okay?" She left Monty for just a second, not going more than a step away from him. She turned Deeks over, wanting to make sure he was okay.

"Yeah Princess, I'm good." She perused his body with her eyes, looking for injuries.

"Checkin me out Fern?" Kensi snorted.

"You wish. Come on, get up and help me get this cord cut so we can set Monty free." Deeks winced at her words, hoping she didn't catch it. One look at her, and he should have known better. There weren't many things his Bad Ass Blye missed.

Kensi decided to wait until later to ask him about that look on his face. It was the second time she noticed something was going on in his head that night.

She grabbed the scissors and waited a moment for Deeks to get close to Monty. If he started wiggling around as she was cutting through the cord, he could end up hurting himself further, and neither one of them wanted that.

Deeks squatted down next his dog, petting him while simultaneously holding him down while Kensi started cutting.

"Hey boy. You are doing so good. I bet if you keep it up, mommy will give you some of her food. But don't expect much. You know she doesn't usually share. She must love you a lot. What's that? You love her, too? Yep, I know buddy, you aren't the only one. Don't tell her this, but she's got a soft spot for the scruffiness."

She wasn't trying to listen (okay, yes she was), and she almost stopped breathing when he said Monty wasn't the only one who loved her. Did Deeks love her? I mean, he had kissed her, but they had yet to talk about that. But love? Love was a big deal. Her hands started shaking, and she almost couldn't get the last of the cord cut. Giving it her all, she felt the scissors snap together and saw Monty start moving his legs and she hurried to get the rest of the cord off his legs.

As soon as he was completely free, he slowly got up, testing it. Deeks and Kensi sat there, petting him, letting him work the kinks out. Finally, Monty started walking around the apartment slowly. The more he moved around, the quicker his pace became.

"Well boy, I think you're going to be okay." There was relief in Deeks's voice as he said it. Kensi nudged her shoulder against his and he looked over at her.

"He's not the only one who will be okay." He gave her a tight smile and nodded once.

Deeks got up, grabbed the beer and headed to put it in the fridge. As he was walking back over, he saw the mark on Kensi's arm.

"Shit Kensi! Why didn't you say something about your arm?" He kneeled down, examining the wound.

"You mean the scratch that isn't even bleeding?" He ghosted his fingers over it.

"Sit right there. I'm going to clean it and make sure it doesn't get infected." He stood up, suddenly feeling extremely guilty he had cut his partner with a pair of scissors.

"Deeks, it's fine. I'm fine." He turned, eyebrows raised. "Damn it Deeks, don't give me that look. I actually mean it when I say I'm fine." Exasperation filled her voice.

"Excuse me if I don't believe that." He turned and started walking away. She could have sworn she heard him say 'and that would be the first time you said what you meant' under his breath, but she was too taken aback by it to question it.

By the time he got back with the supplies and laid them out, she was already stuffing her face with her burger, giving some of the bread to Monty.

"I saw that Kens. You're going to make him fat, you know that right? And then you are going to be the one who has to deal with him going on a diet. I'm not going through that again." He sat down next to her and started swabbing at the cut.

He knew it wasn't deep at all, hell like she said it wasn't bleeding. But he wanted to make sure it was clean himself. It was his fault she even had a mark on her. He inhaled deeply, before letting out a long sigh.

"Deeks, look at me." It took him a minute, and she waited patiently while he put a Wonder Woman band aid over it. Smiling at the sentiment, she watched his fingers touch it again before he brought his eyes up to her.

"This was not your fault. It was an accident, okay? You've seen it, you've cleaned it, and you know it's barely a scratch." She didn't blink, waiting for him to acknowledge it.

"Barely a scratch. Got it. But I've got to say this for the record. I am so sorry." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

"No apology needed. Now, let's eat." He looked at her and laughed.

"What?" Eating generally wasn't a laughing matter to her.

"You've already inhaled your burger. Just wondering if you were going to eat mine, too." She could see the twinkle back in his eye, and she couldn't be more grateful for it. The flashback from earlier seemed to have faded, and she didn't want to bring it up right now.

"I mean, if you aren't going to finish it." She smiled sheepishly at him and he got up, walking to the kitchen. She grabbed her bag of fries and dug in. A few minutes later, he came back, his burger cut in half and handed her a plate. She looked up at him, and he put half his burger on the plate.

"You're lucky I'm feeling generous." She said it as calmly as she could, but couldn't quite stop the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"I'm lucky? I just gave you half my burger." He decided he needed to eat as fast as he could, in case she tried taking the rest of it.

"Yep. You're lucky." She took a handful of fries out of her bag and put them on her plate. He stared at her a minute, eyes narrowed, wondering what the trick was. She smiled at him again and picked up her half, eating it. When she didn't try to take his hand off for getting one of the fries, he decided it was safe.

"I am very lucky." He looked at her with something else in his eyes. Something that scared her and thrilled her all at the same time. Instead of saying anything else, she grabbed the remote, turned the TV on and called Monty over, sharing the rest of the burger with her baby.

* * *

_AN - Wasn't too sure about this one, so please let me know your thoughts on it. :)_


	9. Daddy Dearest

_PROMPT: Kensi has to go away and Deeks is left to care for their two daughters - requested by RedneckGeek_

_Kenzalina - you, my friend, are amazing. Thank you for looking this over for me!_

* * *

Kensi stood in the door, watching her husband and kids in the living room. She was going to be leaving soon for San Francisco to attend a conference, and while it was only overnight, this was the first time Deeks had been alone with the girls overnight since they had been born. The trio hadn't noticed her standing there, so she decided to watch for a minute.

Currently Deeks was trying to make a bridge out of large Lego's with their three-year-old Lily while the five-year-old, Emma, stood back a little ways watching.

"Daddy, I want you to play with me." Emma looked at him, determination in her mismatched brown eyes, reminding him so much of her mother.

"Why don't you sit down here and play blocks with us?" He patted the space next to him as he continued his bridge monstrosity.

"I don't want to play with blocks daddy. I want to play Barbies." She was starting to pout a little, and Kensi had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. She was curious to see how this would play out.

Usually she was the mediator, knowing if it was up to Deeks everybody would get what they wanted and then some. And while that wasn't a bad thing, they agreed that teaching the girl's compromise, sharing, and sometimes not getting what you want was needed.

"Okay Emma Bean. When I get done playing with Lily, maybe we can all three play Barbies?" He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting to see her reaction.

"No daddy. I want _you_ to play Barbie's, not Lily. She ends up pulling the heads off." She gave her sister a dirty look and Deeks sighed.

"Well, it's a good thing I know how to put them back on then, huh? Maybe we can show her how to play with them and that it's important to be gentle." He was trying to reason with a five year old. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was taking his eyes off Lily, who had stopped playing with the blocks and was now coloring with her markers, except she didn't have any paper. Instead, she thought her arms and legs needed to be purple. Deeks dropped his bridge and ran over.

"Oh oh oh Lily. Don't do that baby girl. Okay, this is…wow, this is awesome. Sweetheart, if you want to color, that's okay, but we have to put our toys away first and use actual paper. Mommy is going to flip when she sees this." He was trying to find the lid to the marker when Lily looked at him.

"Daddy, I went poo-poo." She smiled at him. Deeks sighed before catching a whiff of nastiness.

"Sweetheart, you have to tell me _before_ you go poo-poo, that way we can go to the potty like a big girl. You want to wear big girl panties like Emma and mommy, right?" She nodded, the smile now gone from her face and her lip sticking out, starting to quiver.

"No, it's okay baby. We will try again next time okay? Please don't cry." He wrapped her in a hug before noticing Kensi standing in the door watching.

"This is already starting off well, don't you think? Kidding, we will be fine. Right? It's not like they are infants anymore. Pfft. I totally have this. Piece of cake. And you will be home tomorrow. Although I think that's a bit excessive. I don't see why you can't be home tonight. No, this will go swimmingly. No reason daddy dearest can't hold down the fort for a while. Although being a stay at home dad isn't really in my repertoire. But I'm thinking after this I can add it to my resume." She raised her eyebrows at his babbling.

"Should I be worried? Going to hire a hot little nanny to come help you?" Her question made him laugh.

"The only hot little nanny I need won't be here. I guess the girls and I will make do." He gave out an exaggerated sigh before looking at her, an almost sad smile on his face.

They had gotten married six years ago, and other than one LAPD undercover assignment he had had to go on, they had not been away from each other since. As soon as he came back from that assignment three weeks later, he turned in his gun and badge, signed the papers and became an NCIS agent, ensuring he wouldn't be separated from Kensi like that again. And while he had surprised Kensi with his new badge when he returned home, she surprised him with a positive pregnancy test.

When Emma was born, they were the happiest people on the planet. They were a real family now, and when a year and half later Kensi asked Deeks if he would be happy with another baby, he had picked her up, twirled her around and laughed in delight. Lily was born eight months later, and now their little family was complete. And while Kensi and Deeks had let their numerous aunts and uncles babysit the girls for a while for an occasional date night or an overnight getaway, they were always together. This was the first time Deeks was staying here overnight without her and in charge of the kids.

She knew some people would find it odd that they had never really been away from the girls, but between the two of them and their childhoods, they wanted their kids to know that they would always be here for them, no matter what. They wanted to be a constant presence in their life, and not just one parent, but both of them together. They wanted for their children what they didn't have.

"I'll be back tomorrow evening." Before she could say anything else, Emma came out of her room and looked at Deeks.

"Are you going to play with me now?" she demanded. Deeks raised his eyebrows at her and tilted his head.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were asking a question, but it was missing some important words and maybe a little bit of niceness."

"Daddy, will you please play with me now?" She smiled at him, and Deeks was gone. Kensi laughed, recognizing the look on his face.

"Go. I'll change Lily before I leave. I still have about ten minutes." They were currently trying to potty train the stubborn three year old, and while she would pee-pee in the potty, she wasn't budging on the other. They had tried everything, from charts and stickers to bribing with candy. Lily didn't care about any of it.

Deeks got up and kissed his wife quickly before following Emma down the hall to her room. What he saw when he opened the door almost made him curse under his breath. Apparently in the five minutes she had been in there alone, she had turned into a human tornado. Clothes, shoes, dolls and other assorted toys littered the floor. He looked at his daughter, eyes wide, and she just met his stare and shrugged her shoulders.

"What… Beany girl what happened in here?" He put his hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it, not understanding how this went down.

Kensi came up behind him and laughed. Deeks turned towards her.

"She is definitely your daughter. This –" he gestured to the room, "this is not from my genes."

"Oh, okay. I'll claim the messy one, but I'm blaming your genes on the lack of poop in the potty. How about that?" Deeks chuckled.

"Touché."

"Tou…"

"NO! That is not how you use it. Have I not taught you anything?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know what, don't answer that."

"Good thinking." They watched as Lily walked into Emma's room, grabbed a Barbie and yanked the head off.

"Daaaaaaaddy! See? See what she did?" Emma had tears pooling in her eyes now as she looked at the headless Barbie Lily was now holding.

Kensi looked at her watch, noting it was a little after 7:30am and she needed to be at the airport by 9am. Traffic never seemed to work in her favor, so she knew she would have to leave early to get there on time.

Deeks looked at her and over at the girls. He sighed and then put a smile on his face.

"Come on girls. Mommy has to go bye-bye for a little while. She will be home tomorrow. Remember we talked about this?"

The question was more for Lily, who was now clinging to Kensi, the headless Barbie forgotten. Emma ran to her, wrapping her arms around the other side of Kensi and Kensi crouched down, bringing them both into her arms.

"I'll be home tomorrow, don't worry. You two be good for daddy, okay?" They both nodded and looked up at her, tears in their eyes. Kensi looked over at Deeks for help, knowing if she didn't leave now, she wouldn't leave at all.

"Come on ladies. How about a movie? I know, let's watch Brave." Both girls agreed and he got the movie started.

Grabbing Kensi's bag, he walked her outside and loaded the car before wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you." He whispered it in her ear, feeling her shiver and loving that even after all this time, they both still had this kind of effect on each other.

"I'm going to miss you more. Take care of each other, okay? I'll be home soon." She squeezed him, bringing him as close as possible before pulling back and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. He moaned into the kiss, bringing them both back to the present and they reluctantly pulled back.

"I love you Kens." He kissed her nose before stepping back.

"I love you more. Now you better get back up there or the whole house will be a disaster, and I am _not _cleaning that up." She opened that car door and watched him start to walk away.

"Like you would anyway." He muttered it, but she still caught it.

"What was that?" He turned back, flashing his famous smile that he knew would knock her socks off.

"Nothing at all Fern. Love you, be careful, and hurry home." He blew her a kiss and watched as she drove away. As her tail lights disappeared, he sighed. It didn't matter how long they had been together, every time they were separated, he felt like a part of his soul was missing.

He whispered to himself before walking inside. "I love you Kensi Deeks. Be careful."

Kensi got to the airport right before 9am, barely making it to the check in. She absolutely hated going on trips without Deeks, and had always managed to back out of them or get him to come along, but this was a seminar on Forensics, and Hetty had highly recommend she go to it. It was from 1:00pm-5pm today and then all day tomorrow. She was only going to San Francisco, but to her, without her husband and children, it felt like another country.

She typed a quick text to Deeks letting him know she was boarding the plane before turning her phone off. It would take an hour and a half to get there, but she wanted nothing more than to be home. She closed her eyes after getting settled in and wondered what her family was doing right now.

* * *

Deeks was about to lose his mind. Kensi had only been gone two hours and so far he'd dealt to three melt downs, breakfast and clean up and had to give Lily a bath, seeing how she thought _wearing_ the syrup was a good idea.

He knew Kensi was in the air right now, but that didn't stop him from calling and texting her. She would find this amusing when she landed. He missed her already and couldn't wait for her to be home.

He never realized what a team they made together until now. Deeks was usually the one to cook and clean and Kensi would take on getting the kids bathed and distracted until Deeks could join them again. Now that he was a one man army, he was giving serious props to the single moms and dads out there.

He was currently sitting in Emma's room while the two girls played with Lily's cars. Emma was the spitting image of her mother, but had turned out to be such a girly girl it was crazy. Lily got Deeks's blue eyes and blonde hair, preferring cars and dinosaurs over dolls and clothes. His two angels could not be more different. _Kinda like their parents_. Deeks smiled to himself.

"Daddy, what are you smiling at?" Lily looked at him, blue eyes sparkling. He grabbed her and put her in his lap, making her squeal as he tickled her.

"Help me Emma!" Lily almost couldn't say it, she was laughing so hard. Emma, wanting in on the fun too, ran up and tackled Deeks, making him fall back. During the fall, he had let go of Lily, and now the two girls were on top of him, wrestling and tickling him. He put up a fight before surrendering to them, making them laugh.

"Please, please have mercy on me." He tried giving them puppy dog looks, but it didn't seem to be working. Emma was clearly going to be the instigator of things when she got older.

"We will have mercy IF we can do your hair." Deeks narrowed his eyes at her, shifting his eyes back and forth between the girls and brought his hand up to his chin, thinking about it.

"I'll make a deal with you. You two listen to daddy and are good for me, then you can do my hair tonight." His two girls looked at each other and back at him.

"Deal." Emma stuck her hand out to shake his, with Lily following suit.

"Deal." He smiled, hoping they would forget about this particular deal.

The rest of the day went by without incident. He knew Kensi was in her seminar, her phone off, so he didn't feel bad about the amount of texts and voice mails he had left her. Although, knowing his wife, she might kill him for some of those.

He got dinner made, and the girls feasted on home-made macaroni and cheese and chicken. After the food was put away and the kitchen cleaned up, he heard the dreaded words.

"Daddy, it's time to do your hair." He put the dish towel on the counter and turned. Both girls were holding brushes and Lily had gotten the little basket of hair accessories. _Dear God. _But, a deal was a deal. Hands had been shaken. And let it be said Marty Deeks never went back on his word.

"Let's do this." He put a smile on his face as Emma and Lily grabbed his hand and led him to the couch of death. Well, not death, but definitely shame, because he could only guess what this would look like when they were done. _Good thing Kensi isn't here to see this._

* * *

It had been a long and boring day of doing nothing but sitting and listening to speaker after speaker talk about the new cutting edge in forensics. And while some of it fascinated her and she had learned a lot, most of it didn't pertain to her. The class had gone over, everyone having agreed that they would rather go longer tonight in lieu of returning tomorrow. While it was to be a two day seminar, some of the presenters had had to cancel at the last minute.

It was a little after 8pm by the time they were let go. Kensi was thankful that her room was booked in the same hotel where the seminar was being held, so she went straight up, wanting nothing more than a shower and sleep.

As soon as she got to her room, the first thing she did was turn her phone on, noting the 8 new text messages and 5 voicemails from Deeks. Chucking to herself, she listened to her voicemails first.

_9:15am – Hey babe. I know you're on the plane right now, just wanted to say I love you. Emma, put that down baby, we can't play with mommy's make-up. Oh, hey Kens, pretend you didn't hear that okay? Don't worry, I have this under control. Love you._

_9:27am – Hey Kens? Where's those Dora Band-Aids we bought? I see the Barbie and Cars Band-Aids, but Lily is insisting on the Dora. Whoops, never mind, found them. Love you._

_10:09am – Um, how do you get syrup out of hair? There may or may not have been an incident involving pancakes, syrup and Lily. Really, does anything else need to be said? She may look like me, but her eating habits are all you babe. Lily, come here baby, bath time! Okay Kens, I know you heard that, it's bath time. Wish me luck. Love you._

_2:31pm – OH MY GOD KENSI! SHE POOPED IN THE POTTY! Can you believe it? Our baby is getting to be a big girl! Do you think she will do this every time now? Man I hope so. I just wanted to share this monumental occasion with you. Love you._

_7:45pm – Hey mommy. Daddy is trying to clean the kitchen up and he said we could call you. We have been very good today, and daddy said we could do his hair when he's done. Don't worry mommy, we will make it super pretty, just like yours. Lily, come here and say hi to mommy. 'Hi mommy, I love you, and I went poo-poo on the potty like a big girl. Can I have some candy when you get home?' Okay, I love you mommy. Bye."_

By the end of the messages, Kensi was laughing and crying at the same time. She missed everyone so much it hurt. She decided to look at the texts. The first one was a picture of the three of them, each holding a piece of paper that when put together, said 'We Love You'. All of them were smiling, and she made sure to quickly save it and put it as the background on her phone. She looked and noted it was sent at 9:09am. She kept scrolling.

_9:59am - THE PANCAKE MONSTER HAS ARRIVED AND EATEN EVERYTHING IN SITE. Also known as Lily. You don't want to know the aftermath of that. XOXO – Deeks_

_10:30am – bath time baby! How do you stay dry when you do this? I need to learn your tricks. XOXO - Deeks_

_12:42pm – Um, nap time is a no go. They are literally having a pillow fight right now. I think daddy needs a nap more than they do. XOXO – Deeks_

_2:30pm – WE HAVE A POOP IN THE POTTY KENSI! XOXO – Deeks_

_2:47pm – they have literally crashed where they lay. Nap time it is! I knew I had this under control. XOXO – Deeks_

_4:01pm – I can't enjoy a nap without you in my arms. It's not the same. So I am lying here, scrolling through pics on my phone. I love you Kensi. More than you will ever know. I miss you. Have a safe trip baby. XOXO - Deeks_

_7:51pm – Hey beautiful. Everything okay? Haven't heard from you and I thought your thing was supposed to be over by 5. Just checkin in. I love you. XOXO - Deeks _

At that moment, she knew there was nowhere else she would rather be than at home with the loves of her life. She knew by plane it was only an hour and half trip, but driving would take her closer to 6 hours. Five if she drove fast. Her only issue right now was transportation. She called downstairs, and they assisted her in finding a 24 hours car rental company near the airport. Kensi secured her vehicle before packing up everything and heading out. She sent a quick text to Deeks letting him know it had gone over and she was tired and going to bed. She really wanted to surprise him.

The entire drive home, Kensi would go from blaring the radio and having the windows rolled down to windows up and music off, lost in thought. She was getting tired and glanced at the clock. She hadn't left the car rental place until 9:30pm, and it was now almost 1:00am. She had been making good time, and because of the light traffic and driving _slightly_ higher than the posted speed limit, she was hoping to be home about 2am.

At 2:12am, Kensi pulled into the garage of their house. She sat there a minute, just thankful to be home. She was so tired that she left her suitcase in the car. Deeks could get it in the morning. There wasn't anything in there that she absolutely had to have tonight.

She put her key in the lock, making sure to be quiet and disable the alarm. She tiptoed to the bedroom and almost choked on laughter. Laying in her bed were her two girls, and someone she thought was her husband. However, this man had his hair in about 12 different ponytails and wait… was he wearing make-up? She crept closer. Yep, that was definitely her eye shadow and blush on his face. She glanced at the girls, noting the make-up containers on the bed and quickly came to the conclusion Deeks was not aware of this. They must have snuck in after he had gone to bed. Although, she wondered why he hadn't taken his hair down. She pulled her phone out, snapping a picture. This was absolutely something that needed to be documented. Very well. She took a few more, uploading them to the SkyDrive so even if he got them erased off her phone, she had backups.

She looked at the bed again. Where the hell was she supposed to lay down? Emma had taken after her, splaying out her limps as far as possible. Lily was lying almost sideways at the top of the bed, and she wondered if Deeks had been kicked in the head yet. If not, she guessed it wouldn't be long now.

She went to the bathroom and changed her clothes. Coming back out, she gently picked up Emma, and took her to her room. Emma woke up as she was being laid down.

"Mommy? What are you doing here?" Kensi kissed the top of her head.

"I came home early Beany girl. Go back to sleep sweetheart. I love you." Emma muttered 'love you' and immediately rolled over, drifting back to sleep.

Next was Lily. She was smaller and easier to handle, but also woke up a lot easier then Emma.

"Mama. You're home." Lily looked at her, wrapped her arms around her mom and hugged her.

"I sure am sweet girl. I missed you so much."

"We missed you too. Sorry about your face stuff. It was Emma's idea." Wow, she had planned on asking about that tomorrow, but here was Lily, freely giving the info.

"It's okay baby." Kensi laid her down. "I love you. Now, go back to sleep." She ran her hand through the little girls hair.

"Are you leaving again?"

"Nope, I'm home for good."

"Good. I don't like it when you leave. Daddy does a good job, it just isn't the same." Kensi smiled at her.

"I know baby. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Lily sat up, placing a kiss on Kensi's cheek.

"Night night mommy." Lily blew her a kiss as she closed the door, reminding her of Deeks earlier that day.

Kensi made her way back to her bed and climbed in. Her whole body was exhausted and she wanted to go to sleep. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Deeks woke up.

"Kens? You okay? Everything alright? What are you doing home?" He was awake now, worried something was wrong.

"I'm good babe. The seminar ended early, but we had to sit through it past 5. In fact, it was after 8 before we were done. I decided I wanted to be home with you guys instead of sleeping in a bed by myself." Deeks pulled her to him, nuzzling her neck.

"Know what else we can do in a bed?" Kensi pushed him off.

"Um, I don't do 'that' with men who look like that." She gestured to his head. "I don't know what kind of girl you think I am. If you want other bedly activities, I suggest you fix it." She smirked at him, watching as he got up out of bed.

"It's just ponytails Kens. I think Emma wants to be a hair dresser." She listened to him ramble on as he made his way to the bathroom.

"And I know exactly what kind of -" He stopped mid-sentence, seeing his reflection.

"What the… How… Demon spawn, that's what they are. What the hell happened?" He started splashing water on his face, only instead of washing off it was smearing.

"Kensi, please, _please_ come help me." She sighed and got up, walking into the bathroom. She took a cotton ball and some make-up removal and started wiping his face. After she got it all off, took the hair ties out, and kissed him hard, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Come on She-man. Let's go to bed." He laughed at her, picking her up and carried her back to the bed, making sure to show her exactly how much he missed her.

* * *

_AN - Hope you liked it. You should review and let me know! :)_


	10. Moment of Clarity

_PROMPT: Kensi and the team are back from Afghanistan. We all know by now (hopefully) that Kensi will be up in OPS at least one episode. Here's how things are handled. Requested by bookdiva._

* * *

"Deeks, Nell, you two go check out Lt. Wright's office. Sam and I will go talk to the widow, see if she knows anything." Callen went to walk out when he noticed no one had moved and the normally busy OPS had gone silent. He turned around, eyebrows furrowed and folded his arms over his chest.

"There a problem?" He made eye contact with each person, waiting to see who was going to come forth first. And he was more than a little surprised when it was Eric Beale who broke the silence.

"Didn't you mean Kensi and Deeks?" Callen looked at Kensi, who was seething right now. A quick glance at Deeks, who was looking at floor and shuffling his feet, and Callen's mind was made up. Sam shot him a look, letting him know he agreed with his assessment of the situation.

"Nope. Kensi will stay here and assist you in Ops. Nell, you go with Deeks. Any other problems?" Waiting a moment and not hearing any other objections, he made his way out of OPS. He was halfway down the stairs when Kensi called his name.

"Callen, what the hell? Why am I staying here?" Her eyes flashed with anger and they stared at each other for a minute on the landing, Deeks and Nell behind them.

"Kens, we aren't having this conversation right now. If you can't figure it out, then we can talk about it later." He went to turn around and continue his descent until he heard her turn on Deeks.

"What the hell did you say to him Deeks, huh? Are you that quick to replace me?" Deeks just looked at her with sad eyes and shook his head. Nell's eyes kept going back and forth between the two, the awkward silence getting more uncomfortable by the second.

"I didn't say anything Kensi. And no one is trying to replace you." Deeks voice held a hint of sadness and regret but also protectiveness of Nell, and Callen knew it was time to stop this before it went any farther.

"Kens, you just got back. We were all there; we saw what condition you were in in that cave. You need time to process everything. And I'm not sending you out there when you don't have a clear head. Last time I made that mistake, you were held at gun point and Deeks came back with a bruised jaw."

Hearing his words, Kensi's eyes went wide, and she knew she wouldn't change anyone's mind right now. She also realized she _may_ have been a little hasty with her words. She nodded at Callen, and then turned back towards Nell.

"Nell, I –"But Nell held her hand up, stopping her.

"I know Kens. Don't worry about it. I've got his back." She tilted her head towards Deeks who chuckled a little.

Kensi just nodded and looked at her partner, the one she hadn't really spoken to since they had arrived on American soil.

"Be safe out there." She quickly hurried up the stairs before he could respond, but she could feel his eyes on her back.

Once the door closed to OPS, she exhaled. She knew she had just made an unwarranted scene and she regretted her actions towards everyone. She looked around and noticed Eric at one of the computers, typing away. She walked up to him and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry for this." She didn't really know what she was sorry for, it wasn't her fault she was sent to Afghanistan – well, maybe it was her fault her team had to come save her – but she knew she owed everyone, including Eric, an apology for her actions… all of them. She hated herself for the tears she felt stinging her eyes.

"Nothing to be sorry about Kens." He looked up at her, seeing the unshed tears and her resolve to keep them away. He stood up quickly and gave her a hug. She hesitantly put her arms up to hug him back when he pulled away, blushing.

"Uh… sorry Kensi. I know you aren't really touchy-feely, I just –" She gave him a small smile and he stopped talking.

"It's okay Eric. It was actually really nice. I didn't realize I needed that." Eric let out a breath, glad he hadn't overstepped his bounds. He started rubbing his hands together and smiled.

"Now, let's get the bad guys so we can have our partners back." He turned then, not seeing her face fall. Kensi wasn't sure if she would ever get her partner back. She took a deep breath, noticing her hands were shaking a little and made herself calm down before sitting next to her new partner.

"So, what do you need me to do?" She gave him her best smile, hoping the heartache she was feeling wasn't showing through. As he got down to business, she did her best to follow but half of her mind was currently on someone else and wondering if she should try and fix things or take this as a sign that they could only be partners.

* * *

"So, have you two talked at all since you've been home?" Nell looked over at Deeks as he drove the car to their destination. Deeks was quiet for a minute, and Nell didn't press him.

"I've gone over to her place a couple of times, but she never lets me in the door. I know she has some issues to work out, and she's famous for shutting people out, but I hoped – maybe naively so – that she would let me in. So to answer your question, no, we have not talked." He kept his eyes on the road but could feel Nell's eyes on him.

"Are you going to make her see reason?" Her question made him laugh a little, but it held more heartache than anything.

"I'm sorry, I thought we were talking about stubborn, hard-headed Kensi Blye for a minute. When has anyone ever made her see reason when she didn't want to?" He glanced over at her, eyebrows raised.

"You may not realize this Shaggy, but she listens to you more than she listens to anyone else. You've managed to get through her layers and walls before, don't give up now. She may not say it, but she needs you." Deeks just shook his head.

"I can't keep being the only person willing to try. Mentally, I don't think I can do that again. If she wants to talk - or not talk, hell I don't care - she's going to have to make the first move. But this is Kensi we are talking about, she doesn't make the first move. So, I'm not going to hold my breath." He set his jaw, and Nell knew the conversation was over. She sighed a little, turning and looking out the window as LA passed them by.

Fifteen minutes later, they showed up to Lt. Wright's office. They both glanced around, looking for anything out of place. As soon as they opened the door, they both noticed that it had been ransacked. Papers were strewn all over the floor and the desk, the drawers were lying on their sides, contents emptied, and the computer was gone. The both looked at each other.

"Wonder if they found what they were looking for." Deeks started shuffling papers around, trying to see if he could spot anything of importance. Suddenly, his spidey senses pricked and he looked up. He immediately pulled his gun when he noticed a man standing there, gun drawn as well. Nell noticed this and had her gun drawn when the mystery man took a shot at the wall before turning around and taking off.

"Nell, call Eric now!" He yelled it at her, taking off after the man. Nell took her phone out, calling Eric before running after them.

"Speak Nelly monster." Eric's voice was chipper until he heard her speak.

"Eric, get on the camera's around here. Some guy just showed up with a gun, shot the wall and took off. Deeks is currently after him, I'm following in the car, hoping to cut him off." She ended the call and turned on the earpiece, knowing Eric would activate comms on his end, and tore out of the parking lot at an impressive speed.

"We see you Nell. Do you know which way Deeks went?" Eric was trying to be calm and keep his head in the game, because Kensi was of no use to him right now. She had turned pale and was just staring at the screen, mouth open a little.

"West on Lookout." She turned, seeing them up ahead. Deeks was gaining on the suspect. "I see them. Got 'em Eric?"

"Affirmative. We've got eyes on you both. Be careful Nell." Kensi seemed to snap out of it when she saw Deeks, quickly standing up and looking at the map.

"Nell, take the next left, then immediately take the next right. You should be able to cut them off 4 blocks up." Nell did as instructed, pressing the accelerator and flooring it.

"Go right at the next turn Nell. Be ready, they are gaining fast." Kensi's voice was no non-sense, and for that Nell was thankful.

"Roger that." She slammed on the brakes, jumping out of the car with her gun raised and yelling "Freeze" but the suspect had other ideas.

He planted his foot and turned quickly, firing his gun at Deeks before Nell could get her shot off to stop him. The suspect went down, Nell's bullet making its new home in his leg, his gun flying towards Nell. Nell quickly pushed it away and ran up, telling Eric to call for an ambulance.

"Already done. ETA five minutes." As Nell was securing his wrists behind his back, Deeks walked up.

"Good shooting there Velma." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he slipped to the ground. It was then everyone noticed blood quickly staining his white shirt.

"Damn it! Eric, we need another ambulance. Deeks has been shot. Left shoulder." Nell was making quick work of staunching the blood flow, noticing that Deeks had passed out.

"Got it, two ambulances on its way." Eric glanced at Kensi, who looked like she was in shock.

"No Deeks, no! Damn you! I have to go, I need to help him." She was yelling at the screen now, watching Nell put pressure on the wound. Eric stood, blocking her exit. He took his life in his hands when he put his hands on her shoulders, his face set.

"Kensi, you won't make it in time." Before he could say anything, Kensi collapsed, the past few weeks and her fear for her partner catching up with her finally. Eric grabbed her, helping her to the floor.

"Kensi, damn it, I didn't mean it like that. He's Deeks, he's going to be fine. I meant you won't make it to the scene on time. Paramedics will be there soon and by the time you show up he will already be on route to the hospital. Nell's got it under control." He glanced back at the screen, knowing she could hear them through the comms and she gave a weak smile and a thumbs up. Just as the first ambulance was pulling up, Deeks came to.

Kensi's heart stopped when she heard the weak "Fern?" coming from him. He opened his eyes, looking around in confusion for a second before things clicked into place.

"She's going to be so pissed." They all let out a relieved sigh before laughing at his comment.

"She already is Shaggy. But I think you just saved yourself by waking up." Nell got up as the EMT's came over and starting working on him. A few minutes later, she got the info she was looking for and relayed it to the worried woman in OPS.

"Kensi, they are taking him to Pacific Beach Medical. It looks like it was a through and through. Surgery unknown at this time. He's already requesting they stock up on jello, just in case." Kensi chuckled.

"Thanks Nell. I'll meet you there." She grabbed her keys and started walking out before stopping and turning to Eric.

"You coming?" Eric immediately through his stuff down and started following her.

"I thought you'd never ask." He gave her a small smile that she returned before leaving, making it in record time to the hospital.

Nell met them outside the ER, having watched for them to pull up.

"Hey, he's in with the doctor now. He asked that you go straight back when you get here." Kensi just stood there for a minute. After everything that had passed between them, the weeks now of almost no contact, he needed her with him still.

"Yeah, okay. I uh… what room?" She was looking around in confusion, things still slipping into place.

"Go through those doors. Room 106. Straight down the hall." Kensi started walking off before turning suddenly.

"You did good out there, Nell. Thank you." Nell just gave her a smile and nodded at her.

"I hope you don't mind, I already called the guys and told them Deeks was going to be okay and they said they would stop by his apartment later to check on him. And since he's going to be fine, I'm going to have Eric take me to get some food and then home. You okay here by yourself?" Nell's voice was gentle, sincerely wanting to make sure her friend was okay.

"Yeah, I'm good Nell."

"Get goin' Kens. He needs you." Kensi smiled at her and walked through the doors before muttering to herself.

"Yeah, I think I need him, too." She walked down the hall and into her room, watching as his eyes light up for the first time in what seemed like forever.

And just like the revelation she had before she was sent away, she knew that all she had to do was talk to him. She needed him in her life, period. She had tried pushing him away when they got home, but in the end, all it did was cause more hurt and heartache, and hadn't accomplished anything but making everyone else feel awkward around them. Starting now, she was going to work on her communication, because she couldn't let the best thing ever to walk into life walk out of it.

"Hey partner." She smiled shyly at him as the doctor passed her, walking out of the door.

"Hey there yourself. What did the doctor say?" She took a seat next to him, wanting to grab his hand but instead busied herself with an invisible spot on her pants.

"No surgery. Bullet went through cleanly. Just going to have to take it easy for a while so it can heal." He was watching her as she fidgeted, unsure what her actions meant.

"Oh, that's good." She looked up at him, catching his eye.

"Yeah, I would say so." He tilted his head at her, a question in his eyes that he was almost too nervous to voice. He didn't know if this current truce between them was because he was injured or what, but he needed to know.

"What's going on Kens?" He would let her take that question however she wanted. Instead of answering him, knowing exactly what he meant by that and not able to fully express herself right now, she changed the subject.

"You're going to need someone to help out, at least for tonight. You know, because of the pain meds and everything." He narrowed his eyes a little at her.

"You volunteering? You haven't really acted like you want to be in the same zip code as me lately, much less holed up at home with no one to interrupt us." He wanted her to understand that if she did this, she was going to have to talk to him. He knew he could get by just fine, pain meds and all. Her excuse was bullshit, and they both knew that.

"We just gotta talk about it, right?" His eyes held understanding as she used words very similar to the ones she had said to him months before.

"_You_ just have to talk about it. I've held up my end of the bargain. Patience is a virtue, remember?" He gave her a small smile, testing the waters with his slightly teasing voice.

"I'm here Kens. Whenever you're ready to talk. And even if you don't want to talk. But if you are going to continue to shut me out every time something happens, I think we need to reevaluate. I understand about needing space to figure things out, but I also need to know that you will come to me when you are ready, not push me away as far as possible. I'm tired of the constant tug-of-war." She blushed at his words, knowing they were true and unable to refute them.

"I know. I have a lot to work on. But um, I –" she paused, taking a breath. "I'm sorry." She looked down, playing with her hands. Deeks quickly sat forward, causing him to groan in pain.

"God I am so tired of getting shot." Kensi got up and tried to help him and somehow during the shift, she ended up almost on top of him.

"Well hey there Princess. Nice to see you still like being on top." He tried smiling but the pain was still too much.

"Easy Romeo. Heal first, and then we can flirt." She winked at him, hoping that her words and actions would show him she was serious about wanting to fix this.

"Who said I had to be healed to flirt?" He threw the wink right back at her and was rewarded with the blush that crept up on her cheeks.

"Touché." Her one simple word made Deeks almost squeal.

"Kensi Marie Blye. I could kiss you right now for using that word correctly." He thought he would have won the war with that, but Kensi surprised him by standing up and kissing his cheek softly.

"How about that?" She pulled back, smiling at him.

"That works too, although it should be me kissing you for it, not the other way around." She leaned over then, putting her cheek next to his face. He took his good arm, putting his hand on her other cheek to guide her forward before placing his lips against her cheek. She let out a sigh when he pulled back and Deeks couldn't help but smile.

"Don't think you are off the hook Ms. Blye. A little flirting isn't going to get you out of our talk later." She nodded at him, face serious.

"I know Deeks. I know." They both watched each other until the nurse came in with his discharge papers. He made the required signatures, initialed his life away and was finally free to go. Kensi brought her car around and picked him up.

She stopped and grabbed burgers for them and then maneuvered her car into her normal parking spot at his place. She was just about to get out when Deeks stopped her.

"Kensi, I'm only saying this once. I'm not trying to be mean or however else this may come across. But if you cross that threshold over there, there is no backing out of it. We talk, hash it out, get everything out in the open between us, and then we start working on fixing it." She didn't say anything, instead opting on actions instead of words.

He watched as she got out of the car, walking over to his side and grabbing his good hand to help him out. Once he was out and his door was shut, she intertwined their fingers and he smiled.

"Good choice Princess. Now, let's go. I'm hungry." He bumped her arm a little, making her laugh, and before he knew it, they crossed that threshold together, hands simply intertwined. But they both knew the meaning behind such a simple gesture was so much bigger.

* * *

_AN - Leaving a review on your way out would be GREATLY appreciated! Hope y'all enjoyed it! :)_


End file.
